THE POUND
PROCLAIMER
Volume III
November 2007
Number 1
Sing
to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day
to day. Psalms 96:2
A FAITHFUL MAN,
WHO CAN FIND?!
It should be the desire of
every man (and every woman for that matter) to be accounted faithful in the
sight of God. Before men can be faithful, they must know what it takes to be
faithful. Too often, men have declared themselves faithful when in reality they
were lacking in the characteristics of a faithful man. As we study some
characteristics that will make a man faithful unto God, examine yourself to see
if you are faithful.
A faithful man has a deep
abiding personal faith (Romans 14:5)
in God. If man is to please God, he must believe that God exists and rewards
those who seek after Him (Hebrews 11:6).
While faith includes a mental acknowledgment that God exists, it is not
confined to that one connotation. It also connotes a confidence that God and
the faithful maintain a relationship (Galatians
3:26). The faithful are sons of God. As sons, the faithful can draw
near to the throne of grace and thus have access to mercy and grace (Hebrews 4:16). When men find it hard
to believe that God cares about what goes on in their personal lives, they
don’t have a deep abiding personal faith in God.
The lives of faithful
people abound with blessings (Proverbs
28:20). There are blessings which come in the day to day lives of
the faithful, “… and in the age to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30). This doesn’t suggest
that the faithful will have an over abundance of material wealth. It does mean
that he will have all his physical needs supplied (Matthew 6:25-33). Added to this are the spiritual
blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:3)
which succor the faithful through trying times.
The faithful understand
that these blessings will often be accompanied by persecutions (2 Timothy 3:12). Faithfulness is not
always easy, but it is always rewarding.
A faithful man will use and
develop the talents which have been entrusted to him. God gives to men certain
talents “… to each according to his ability.” The one who takes what the
Lord has entrusted to them and use it, will be called good and faithful
servants. Those who fail to use their talents, regardless of their excuse, will
have taken from them that which they have and be cast into outer darkness where
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:14-30).
The talents which God has
entrusted to us are our souls and our possessions. The Israelites of long ago
were told to “... take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget
the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all
the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's
children” (Deuteronomy 4:9).
Our possessions are but
things we can use to further the cause of Christ. The faithful will be liberal
givers (2 Corinthians 9:6)
for they know “... it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). The faithful man labors
with his hands not only to provide for his own (1 Timothy 5:8) but also to give for the care of the
needy (Ephesians 4:28).
The faithful man realizes
the importance of the local church and will join himself to the work (Acts 9:26). He dedicates all of his
talents to accomplishing the work, for he knows that by works, faith is made
perfect (James 2:22). He
does not wait for some great work to perform, nor does he excuse himself
because his talent is less when compared with others. He is willing to do the
little things (Luke 16:10)
for he knows to be faithful in a little means he will be faithful in the
greater.
“Many a man proclaims his
own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?” Proverbs 20:6.
Many men have proclaimed their faithfulness and even more
think of themselves as faithful, yet, the Preacher says, a faithful man is hard
to find. We have mentioned a few characteristics which are found in faithful
men. There are other characteristics which could be mentioned. However, these
will begin to show us that a faithful man can be identified by the fruit he
bears (Matthew 12:33). It
does no good for a man to declare he is faithful, if he doesn’t have the fruit
to back it up.
The Editor’s
Page
Have you heard the
expression, “That is just the tip of the iceberg”? This statement is used to
indicate that many problems are like icebergs. The tip of an iceberg tells you
that it is there, but the size is not readily apparent, because the greater
portion of it is under water. Problems within the church are like icebergs. The
reason for the problem may lie hidden from view.
Another life lesson can be
learned from the measles. The spots which are associated with measles aren't
the real problem. They are symptoms that the body is ill. A person can put a
soothing ointment on them to relieve the irritation. However, it does nothing
to cure the disease.
In local churches, a great
deal of time and energy is expended working on problems without a resolution.
Could it be that a large portion of preaching, including mine, is devoted to
treating symptoms rather than the causes? Is it possible that we are trying to
resolve our problems by identifying the tip of the iceberg rather than the more
complex causes that are hidden from view?
Attendance is an ever
present problem. The Bible plainly says, “Not neglecting to meet together,
as is the habit of some ...” (Hebrews
10:25). Yet, attendance drops from Sunday morning to Sunday night.
It is even worse at Wednesday evening Bible classes. What can be done about it?
To begin with, there may be
some who are Christians who do not know that this is a problem. It is
conceivable that they do not know that they should attend every service. With
them, just to know that the Lord wants them to attend is enough.
But when teaching and
preaching has emphasized the need to assemble, with no obvious results, it is
evident that the problem is not one of “information.” Lack of attendance is
like the tip of an iceberg or the symptomatic spots of the measles.
Some have been head to say;
“I don't have to attend every service,” “I think Sunday mornings where we take
the Lord’s Supper is enough,” “I can go to Heaven without attending Sunday
night, Wednesday night, or gospel meetings.” Statements like these indicate
there is a more serious and complex problem.
Another problem within the
church is clothing. When some learn that the Christian is to be modest (1 Timothy 2:9-10), that nothing is
to be worn which violates the definition of decent clothes, then shorts,
halters, bathing suits, revealing skirts/dresses, and such like will be removed
as attire worn by Christians. But when Christians, in spite of all the
preaching by faithful men, continue to be influenced by style, the problem is
not going to be cured by a few verses of scriptures.
What is the answer? I
suggest that when we become like the Macedonian brethren, the aforementioned
problems, as well as the “corrupt speech” problem, the “social drink” problem,
the “giving” problem, the “dancing” problem, the “work” problem and all such
like problems will vanish.
Consider what is said of
them, “they gave themselves first to the Lord” (2 Corinthians 8:5). This will cure
any problems that will arise. The one who does this will not ask, “Have I got
to?” Instead he says, “Please, let me. I want to.” Just look at 2 Corinthians 8:3. It says of these
Macedonians, “For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and
beyond their means, of their own free will.”
What do you think would
happen if every member began to say, “Please, let’s have more services, let’s
have more Bible classes, let’s have more visitation work, let’s have more home
Bible classes, and let’s begin in my home, please, let me give more?” I would
not be at all surprised that it would be said of us as it is said in Acts 17:6, “These men who have
turned the world upside down have come here also”.
The only way we can rid
ourselves of the pesky problems that hinder, is for each member to give
themselves to the Lord. Are you willing to give yourself to the Lord?
THE LAST WORD
With this issue of The Pound
Proclaimer, we enter our third volume. We desire to spread the gospel to as
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