THE POUND
PROCLAIMER
Volume IV
March 2009
Number 5
Sing
to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day
to day. Psalms 96:2
COMMON OR HOLY?
A real problem with the Jews was that
they could not distinguish between that which is “common [profane]” and that
which is holy. For instance, the Jews allowed male prostitutes to make
residence in the “booths” of the Temple before the reforms enacted by Josiah
(see; 2
Kings 23:7, And he brake down
the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the
women wove hangings for the grove.)
While that may have been an extreme
practice, God also warned them about their confusion of that which is merely
common with that which is holy. One might consider that the Jews were rebuked
for failing to make distinctions that should have been evident to all (see; Ezekiel
22:26, Her priests have
violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no
difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference
between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths,
and I am profaned among them.; Ezekiel 44:23, And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and
profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.)
Commentators suggest that the difference
in these passages is between things dedicated to God and things that are merely
ordinary. Consider Jamieson, Fauccet and Brown: put no difference between the
holy and profane, &c.-made no distinction between the clean and unclean (Leviticus
10:10), the Sabbath and other days, sanctioning violations of that
holy day. “Holy” means, what is
dedicated to God; “profane,” what is
in common use; “unclean,” what is
forbidden to be eaten; “clean,” what
is lawful to be eaten.
A good example of that is found in a
recent announcement of a church in
Not that I believe this denominational
body is a
Floyd
Chappelear
fchappelear@sentrymagazine.com
The Editor’s
Page
Why do you prefer strawberry ice cream
over peach ice cream? Why do you enjoy fishing trips and abhor hunting trips?
Why are you a Tennessee Vols fan rather than an Alabama Crimson Tide fan? The
answer to these questions finds resolution in our past. We are what we are, to
a large degree, because of those who exerted influence upon us as we grew to
adulthood.
Influence is defined as, 1. A power affecting a person, thing, or course of events, especially
one that operates without any direct or apparent effort. American Heritage Dictionary.
There are many things that we humans
impact. We impact our environment and those with whom we come into contact. In
each of our lives, we have developed characteristics which were a direct result
of contact with people. The people who influenced us the most were our parents.
It is not uncommon to see people who talk, act and look like their parents. I
will acknowledge there is argument for innate characteristics obtained from
parents. However, I believe that influence has a much greater affect on us than
some want to admit. Consider children who are adopted. They will take on many
of the habits and mannerisms manifested by the parents who raise them rather
than having some biological predisposition to certain behavior.
Paul understood the importance of his
influence. He made a conscience effort to have a proper influence (1
Corinthians 9:19-22). Paul brought himself under bondage to all that
he might gain the more. I am afraid that too often; Christians fail to have
this kind of zeal for the lost. It seems, at least to this writer, that many
Christians are only concerned with living their lives the way they want,
without consideration as to how it will impact on non-Christians.
Whether we acknowledge it or not, the
truth is, we have the power to affect other people. If one wears the name
Christian and uses curse words, they influence others to do the same. If one
wears the name Christian and steals, they influence others to do the same. If
one wears the name Christian and speaks in a vulgar manner of sex, they
influence others to do the same. Many Christians are known to their associates
as Christians in name only. They are no different in speech, actions and dress
than their non-Christian companions. Yet, Christians are commanded to be
different than the world. “Therefore go
out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no
unclean thing; then I will welcome you,” (2 Corinthians 6:17).
(cf. 1
John 2:16-17; Romans 12:1-2).
As a Christian, we should be able to say
as did Paul, “I urge you, then, be
imitators of me” (1 Corinthians 4:16). If we cannot
say with Paul, “be ye imitators of me”,
then we need to be ashamed of ourselves and repent least the Lord come and find
us unprepared to meet Him.
Not only does the Christian individual
need to be aware of his influence, but the congregation should be conscious of
its influence. Paul says of the churches in Achaia, “for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of
Can a congregation’s zeal stir up other
local churches of Christ or the community in which it exists for good, if it
uses worldly members as teachers, preachers and those who take an active part
in the worship services? The answer is self-evident. It is no! How can
congregations filled with carnally minded Christians have a righteous effect on
others? It cannot and will never do so as long as the world is still
controlling their thinking.
Is your influence for the good? What
about the influence of the Pound
WORKING FOR THE
MASTER
What can I do? It is a simple question.
However, some things may not be as simple as they seem. Take our question for
example. If it is being asked as a negative, it screams; I can’t do anything.
And yet, if it is asked in a positive way, it is a request for direction to the
end something might be accomplished.
It is sad to say but the question is
often asked in the negative. It just might be that it is asked more often
negativity speaking than positively. Sadder still is the fact that our question
in its negative sense is heard on the lips of Christians. When encouraging
Christians to go quickly to the work of harvesting souls, it is common to here,
“What can I do?” meaning, and “I can’t do anything to bring souls to Christ.”
The Lord taught a great lesson about the
attitude of defeatism. It is recorded in Matthew 25:14-30. We commonly refer
to it as the parable of the talents. In this parable, Jesus taught the
responsibility of personally doing the work of reaching lost souls with the
gospel.
The first point to be made is that a
servant of the Lord must be a self-motivator. It says, “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who
called his servants and entrusted to them his property” (v. 14).
The master went on a journey. This means the servants were to work without the
direct supervision of their master. Each servant was given duties and expected
to do them to the best of their ability. While serving in this way, they were
answerable only to themselves. No one was going to stand over them and force
them to react in an appropriate manner.
The second point is this, “To one he gave five talents, to another
two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away” (v. 15).
No servant was expected to do more than his ability would allow. Hence, the
difference in the amount of talents distributed to each servant. By giving one
servant five talents, the master recognized the abilities of this servant were
more than the other two. By giving another servant two talent, the master
expected less of this servant than the first but more than the third. By giving
the third servant one talent, the master expected the least from this servant.
The third point to be made is that the
master expected some amount of accomplishment for all his servants regardless
of their abilities. After having commended the five talent and two talent
servants, He said, “You wicked and
slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed and gather where
I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers,
and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take
the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone
who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who
has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant
into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:26-30).
Before we think the master was to harsh,
consider the words of the one talent servant, “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow,
and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid
your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours” (Matthew
25:24-25). The one talent servant knew what was expected of him.
Although he knew, his response seems to be “what can I do — I can’t do
anything”.
How often do we hear Christians excuse
themselves from being involved in bringing lost souls to Christ by expressing
the same sentiments as the one talent servant? They excuse themselves by
touting their faithfulness to attend the Sunday morning worship service. Then
excuse themselves from Sunday night and Wednesday night services with some lame
excuse that is tantamount to saying, I was afraid so I hid my talent.
The fourth point is this, in the cases of
the five talent and two talent servants each increased what was given them.
They did not remain stagnant in their abilities. The servant who allows fears
to cause him to fail to improve himself is doomed for total failure.
Peter encourages Christians to grow
beyond their present set of abilities. Notice his words as he ends his second
epistle. “But grow in the grace and
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be
the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).
Maturing in our spiritual lives is a
necessary commodity if we expect to please our Lord and receive the inheritance
of Heaven. The Christian makes a fatal mistake if he thinks he can come before
the Lord in judgment with the same level of knowledge and growth as he did at
the first when he obeyed the gospel. For those who would be so timid as to fail
in their assigned duties in this life the Lord will, “cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In
that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30).
Dear Christian, the next time you ask the
question, “What can I do” let it be a legitimate desire to improve oneself and
to be about the Lord’s work. Whatever ability you have, the Lord has
expectations of you. Do not be tempted to excuse yourself because your talent
is less than someone else. Do not be afraid to step up and step out upon the
promises of God. Let our rallying cry be “To the work! To the work! We are servants of
God, Let us follow the path that our Master has trod; With the balm of His
counsel our strength to re-new, Let us do with our might what our hands find to
do.” [To The
Work, Wm. H. Doane].
THE LAST WORD
GOSPEL MEETING
####################
WHAT MUST
I DO
Hear: Rom 10:17
Believe: Heb 11:6
Repent: Lk 13:5; Ac
17:30
Confess: Matt 10:32; Ac
8:36
Be Baptized: Ac 2:38;
22:16
TO BE
SAVED?
###################
FAMILY
MATTERS
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Editor: Glen Young
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