THE POUND
PROCLAIMER
Volume VI
March 2011
Number 1
Sing
to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day
to day. Psalms 96:2
DESENSITIZED TO
SIN
The discipline of psychology lists
antisocial behavior (a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of,
the rights of others—Wikipedia) as abnormal behavior. It is the inability to
empathize with the pain and suffering of others. One who is diagnosed with this
problem is someone who is desensitized to the consequence of their actions
toward others.
There is much discussion as to how a
person develops such behavior. Is it innate [a genetic defect] or learned
[environmental] behavior? Empirical evidence points to the problem being one of
learned behavior. The Scriptures uphold this observation by pointing out that
people are affected by those with whom they associate. Paul warned the
Corinthian Christians by saying, “Do not
be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33) This is in accord with what James writes in
chapter one verse twenty-seven by saying, “Religion
that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans
and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
Undoubtedly, Christians are to be aware of their surroundings for the purpose
of guarding against being influenced to commit sin.
This brings up the question, why do we
see Christians either ignore or accept actions that have been considered sin in
the past? The answer is found in the desensitization of Christians with the
blatant sinful actions which bombard us everyday. Satan knows this to be the
case and uses the constant friction of a holy conscience with sin to
desensitize it toward the wickedness surrounding it.
It happens through a gradual process of
desensitization. When I was growing up in
Desensitization can and does happen in
the spiritual realm. This spiritual callousness is in response to the wicked
world in which we live. Through television, radio and other media, we are
constantly bombarded by evil of every kind. Our neighbors are involved in it.
Officials in high office are engaged in it. In the words of an old Sonny &
Cher song, “and the beat goes on!”
What is needed is a righteous indignation
toward sin. Righteous
As Christians, we need to maintain strong
convictions about those things we see that are sin. This is hard to do because
of the constant exposure to sin. The problem is one of remaining righteously
indignant toward evil. Initially, the evil of wicked men distresses us, vexes
our righteous souls. Prolonged exposure to the lascivious life of the wicked
causes our consciences to become callused. This creates an age old problem; the
inability to differentiate between good and evil.
Christians are to grow and mature having
their senses exercised to know good from evil. Isaiah identified this as a
problem for
Over time, we grow accustomed to the evil
around us. We ‘adjust’ and there is no more adverse reaction. We can invite
adultery, fornication, nakedness, cursing and blasphemy of God into our homes
and are not shocked by it. We call it entertainment. We hear of a public
official violating the public trust by overtly sinning and say, “Everybody is
doing it.” We allow the homosexual life style to go unchallenged and say, “If
they want to live that way, it’s no skin off my teeth.” We have become
‘street-wise’ and speak of illicit sex, drug abuse and every sort of wickedness
with ease. It is evident that Christians have become desensitized to sin.
Children are subjected to sex education
at ever-younger ages. The average first grader can tell you more about sex than
you ever wanted to know. That is just the Christian’s child. The children of
worldly parents can tell you things you don’t even want to know.
Christians have no choice but to live in
this evil world. We do have a choice of whether or not we will let the evil
affect us. If we are not vexed in our soul daily by what we observe, then we
are doomed! “I appeal to you therefore,
brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that
by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable
and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2)
The Editor’s
Page
THE ETERNAL SPRING
I once heard someone compare a man’s life
with the four seasons. They said, spring is likened to birth and growing that
is done in childhood. Summer is likened to adulthood with the fruit of a man’s
labors. Autumn is likened to the beauty and wisdom that comes with old age.
Winter is likened to the end of days when physical health is stripped away and
the body is left bare and lifeless.
To the above, I would add the following.
Life does not end with winter. We know that the All Mighty Creator of all
things has promised that following winter comes another spring. The trees,
grass, flowers, etc. are given new life with the coming of this new spring. I
have often watched as spring grew from one tiny sprig of grass into the beauty
of life and renewed hope. The sights and smells are a reminder that all is not
lost when death comes. There is an awakening just on the horizon.
Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us, “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is
coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those
who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to
the resurrection of judgment.” (John
5:28-29)
The promise is one of an eternal spring
for the righteous of God. Just as the natural world hears the voice of nature
and is resurrected each spring, so shall we be resurrected to greet an eternal
spring at the Day of Judgment.
Jesus made another promise associated
with this new eternal spring. He says, “Let
not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe
also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I
have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am
you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” (John 14:1-4) The eternal spring will be
something to behold. It will outdo any spring time that we will have ever
experienced. This will be the spring when Jesus will come again and take to
Himself all those who have loved Him and kept His commandments.
It is going to be a time of the most
drastic change ever seen by man. Truly, the change from winter to spring in
nature is dramatic. However, Paul describes this change in these words; “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not
all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be
raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this
perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on
immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the
mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’” (1
Corinthians 15:51-54)
Think about it! An
eternal spring where we will have an imperishable body, where death will never
be known again. John describes it this way; “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne
saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with
them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their
God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more,
neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former
things have passed away.’” (Revelation
21:1-4)
When we see the bareness of winter, it is
easy to get depressed into thinking that life will never return. But even in
the darkest of winter nights there is still the glimmer of hope. Hope that in
time, spring will come and bring with it new life so that all will be alive and
thriving again.
There is something special about hope. It
is courageous. It has a courage that helps mere men to endure the worst that
life has to offer. Hope can see the light that is just ahead penetrating the
darkness. It gives strength to preserve even when we are weak and frail.
This is why God has given His words of
comfort to the righteous. He challenges us and leads us forward to the day when
it will be worth it all. We are not capable of knowing all
the splendor that is Heaven. Our mortal minds just cannot comprehend it
all. Although this is true, we are assured by hope that it will be all that God
tells us it is and more.
So in hope we go forward; taking each
step at the direction of our Lord. As we move ever closer to that eternal
spring, may we be able to say as did Paul, “I
have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I
have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that
Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
The next time you are enjoying a
beautiful spring day after a long hard winter I hope you will think about the
eternal spring that is to come. As you think about it, ask yourself the
question, am I prepared to receive the crown of life, or will I be cast away
into eternal darkness?
Oh blessed eternal spring, we await your
coming!
WORKING FOR THE
MASTER
THE LAST WORD
Going to the
cotton gin atop a mule drawn wagon filled with cotton is one of my first
recollections as a child. The wagon would bump, rattle and creak its way down
the road. The trip to the gin was always more pleasant than the trip home,
because the cotton muffled the noise and gave me a place to sit that would
absorb the shock of the road. On the return trip, it became painfully obvious
that there is nothing harder than a wagon seat. It was a board without padding.
When the wagon wheel hit a pot hole, it was a bone jarring experience to say
the least. But this was not the only problem with riding in an empty wagon. The
old cotton wagon would rattle and creak so loudly you could hardly hear
yourself think.
On a recent
Sunday, I was listening to a local denominational preacher over the radio and
my mind went back to that old, empty cotton wagon. It was the practice of this
particular denominational preacher to become rather agitated when he preached.
At times, he garbled his words, hummed, sang, cried, laughed, and presented his
message in a highly agitated manner. He claimed this agitation was the leading
of the Spirit. Is this kind of extravagant display evidence of preaching that
is inspired by the Holy Spirit?
I doubt it,
especially when I consider what Paul wrote to the Corinthian church. “I thank God that I speak in tongues more
than all of you. Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with
my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”
(1 Corinthians 14:18-19) In the
first century the spiritual gift of speaking a language one did not know was in
the church. It is in this context that Paul recognized the importance of
speaking the words of God in a way that the hearers can understand. The purpose
of preaching is for instruction in righteousness. If this is not accomplished,
then the preaching is vain.
I was reminded
of that old cotton wagon and something I heard growing up in rural north
The next time
you hear a denominational preacher blame his inarticulate ranting and raving on
the Holy Spirit, think about an empty cotton wagon. I know I will.
####################
WHAT MUST
I DO
Hear: Rom
Believe: Heb 11:6
Repent: Lk 13:5; Ac
17:30
Confess: Matt
Be Baptized: Ac
TO BE
SAVED?
###################
FAMILY
MATTERS
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Editor: Glen Young
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