In This Issue

• "HE TOOK A LITTLE CHILD…"
• ARE THERE MIRACLES TODAY?
• "HIGH MAINTENANCE"
• UPCOMING GOSPEL MEETING SCHEDULE
• MORE INFORMATION...

"HE TOOK A LITTLE CHILD…"

Jesus came with His apostles to Capernaum, and "when He was in the house He asked them, 'What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?' But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, 'If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.' Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 'Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives not Me but Him who sent Me.'" (Mark 9:33-37).

Perhaps the best comment on what Jesus meant by saying to His apostles that he who desires to be first must be last of all and servant of all is Jesus' own statement recorded by Matthew in Matt. 18:5, "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." In the preceding verse, the Lord had said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will be no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

Little children are humble. Little children are teachable. Little children desire to be helpful. Instead of seeking personal greatness, Christ's disciples needed to be changed. They needed, like little children, to manifest humility, a willingness to learn, and an eagerness to be helpful in the cause of Christ. "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."

We might take a moment to note that Jesus did not say that little children need to be converted. He said His disciples needed to be converted - changed - so that they were more like little children. Young children need to be taught, guided, and trained, but in many respects those of us who are older could observe valuable lessons from them.

In connection with these thoughts, it might be well to remind ourselves that God's spiritual and moral laws have always been directed to those who are capable of understanding such laws. When Israel rebelled against God's will and refused to possess the promised land, God charged only those who were mature with their rebellion, Deut. 1:39. James 4:17 tells us, "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." Those whose minds are not capable of distinguishing right from wrong are not held responsible nor charged with sin. And since baptism is for penitent sinners, Acts 2:38, young children are not proper subjects for New Testament baptism. Notice that Jesus did not put the child before His apostles to be baptized, but to serve as an example the apostles should follow in humility and willingness to serve.

--Clarence R. Johnson

ARE THERE MIRACLES TODAY?

What is a miracle? There is a need for the average member of the church of our Lord today to consider the question, "Are there miracles today?" It seems that there are many indications of this need as we listen to the kind of language used among the saints.

There are generally three words used in the New Testament that have to do with a "miracle." By use of these words the idea of the miraculous is set forth. (1) SEMEION (2) TERAS and (3) DUNAMIS. Let us look at each of these words.

Vincent says of the word SEMEION: "Pointing to something beyond itself, a mark of the power or grace of the doer or of his connection with the supernatural world" (Vincent's Word Studies of the New Testament, Vol. 1, pg. 66). W.E. Vine says, "Tokens of divine authority and power," in the Authorized Version, this word is translated "signs." One of the places where it is found is Heb. 2:4.

Of the word TERAS, Vincent says, "portend or prodigy" (op. cit.). Vine says, "Something strange, causing the beholder to marvel, is always used in the plural, always rendered 'wonders,' and generally follows SEMEIS, 'signs,' the opposite order occurs in Acts 2:22, 43; 6:8; R.V.; 7:36; in Acts 2:19 'wonders' occurs alone" (W.E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Vol. 4, pg. 228).

The final word, DUNAMIS, "Power, inherent ability, is used of works of a supernatural origin and character such as could not be produced by natural agents and means" (W.E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Vol. 3, pg. 75). While discussing the word TERAS ("wonders"), Vine makes a very fine statement: "A sign is intended to appeal to the understanding, a wonder appeals to the imagination, a power (DUNAMIS) indicates its source as supernatural" (Vol. 4, pg. 228).

I used to marvel back a few years ago at the great military, prop-driven, cargo planes, some of which were half the length of a football field, that could fly 300 mph with nearly 118,000 pounds of cargo plus a crew of men. Someone says, "Why, it was a miracle that the thing could fly at all!" No, dear friend, that was no miracle! Such a ship was the Douglas Cargo-Master. Now let me tell you why it was no miracle that this plane was able to fly. With a wing span of nearly 200 feet, it was powered by four huge gasoline engines, each equipped with a large 3-blade propeller. That's how it flew! There is a law of physics known as "Bernoulli's law," called by this name only because a man by that name discovered it. It is the application of this law that gives any airplane lift to enable it to take off, fly, and even land properly. Such a law acted upon the propellers of the plane under discussion, giving it sufficient speed, which also enabled the huge wings to give the ship enough lift to keep it in the air. The same thing also is true when a baseball pitcher is able to put the proper spin on a ball, it is this principle that causes the ball to curve. No, there is no miracle involved in such things. All such things act according to the well defined laws of nature.

We hear a song on the radio that says, "It's gonna take a miracle to make me love someone new… for I'm crazy for you!" But some of our own folk have started using the word "miracle" even more flippantly than that. We hear them speak of "miracle drugs," "miracle foods," "the miracle of child birth," etc., etc. No, we believe that the age of miracles ended with the first century. But the miracles recorded in the New Testament were truly miracles for they were characterized by actions which were supernatural in that they defied all laws of nature. And, friends, since their purpose was to confirm that the things those "holy men of God" spoke were true, and we now have that Word in its completeness, we are not going to see any miracles today. (Please go back and study Mark 16:17-20; Heb. 2:1-4; 1 Cor. 13:8-13; James 1:25).

Remember, just because something appears to be unusual or out of the ordinary, and we cannot explain or understand them, such does not constitute them miraculous; they are nothing more than phenomenal or astonishing.

Brethren, let's watch our language!

--Truman Smith, Precepton, Vol 35, No. 1

"HIGH MAINTENANCE"

From time to time you might hear someone described as "high maintenance." It could be a man referring to his girlfriend, or a husband discussing his wife (or vice versa). The phrase might be used in regards to any person who shares a relationship with others. 

The meaning of this expression is this: this individual requires constant attention. They expect and demand that others will attend to their every whim and expectation. Typically, these people will not do anything for others, because it seems that it never crosses their mind to think about what someone else might want or need. Their total emphasis is on "me, me, me!"

Unfortunately, there are some members of the church who are "high maintenance." These are the folks who are always complaining about things that they feel should have been done for them. 

• "I was sick, and no one came to see me." 
• "I was overlooked when someone was selected for…" 
• "I've never been invited to ______ 's house for a meal." 
• "I wasn't included when some others made plans to…" 
• Etc., etc., etc. 

A little investigation will show that this "high maintenance" individual has never done any of these things for anyone else. Usually these folks are not particularly friendly, almost never show hospitality, don't visit the sick, never see about the needs of others, and generally ignore any situation that doesn't involve their own interests or desires. They are self-centered and full of self-pity.

Such folks need to learn to look outside their own circle, to realize that "self" is not the most important thing. Paul said it this way: "In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:3-5). 

--Greg Gwin, The Beacon, 1/14/04

The seed of wrongdoing may be sown in secret, but the harvest cannot be concealed.

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