by Barry Newton

You would expect to see those who wear white coats and a stethoscope in a hospital. You would expect to see those donning yellow hard hats to be driving heavy equipment or working at a construction site. Bright and smart polo shirts along with cleated shoes are typical fare at a tee or on a fairway.

So where would you expect to see Jesus? Would you expect to find Jesus leaning against a wall outside of a convenience store chatting with gang members? Would Jesus dare be caught talking with someone who had a really bad reputation? The Gospels provide an answer.

On one occasion some Pharisees were shocked to see Jesus engaged in the fellowship of sharing a meal with sinners. To their offended sensibilities of where He should be, Jesus responded, “The healthy do not need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17 Jesus is the Great Physician who has come to heal lives. It was only appropriate that He would be accessible to those whose lives need healing. As He announced on another similar occasion, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10

Where does Jesus want to be? Contrary to perhaps both the stereotypes of some sinners and saints, Jesus wants to be with those whose lives have been ruined by sin. He is the Great Physician. That is where He is needed. While the thrust of His message revolves around Him healing our greatest affliction by releasing us from guilt, we must also not overlook:

• To the ostracized and lonely, He can provide the promise of always being there, (Matt. 28:20)

• To those burdened and tired, He promises rest (Matt. 11:28)

• To those trapped in a dysfunctional family or without family, He extends the invitation to be part of God’s family, (Matt. 12:50)

• To all of us, He offers the path toward healthy relationships with God, others and self.

Where does Jesus want to be? Where people need help. Where do you suppose He wants His disciples to be?

by Mitchell Skelton

Has the call for unity among believers been abandoned in the church today?  Has the fire that burned among the leaders of the Restoration been extinguished?  If the church of the 21st century truly models itself after the first century church then the plea for unity must be made and heeded.

Jesus’ prayer for unity had a specific purpose. “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one... May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 18:20–21, 23).

Much effort is expended in brotherhood papers and lectureships addressing “change agents.”  Noticeably missing from most of these articles is any effort toward reconciliation.  Don’t misunderstand, when we observe the church practicing error then we have a responsibility to correct the error but that also involves making the effort to restore unity among believers.  We should, “Make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Rom. 14:19).

Achieving unity seems like such a monumental objective that we often dismiss the thought.  Often the true reason we don’t think unity is possible is because we don’t think people will be willing to conform their actions to the will of our own minds.  Consider the example of a couple preparing for marriage.  Before their wedding, David and Susan met with the minister to discuss their marriage ceremony and various traditions, such as lighting the unity candle from two individual candles. Couples usually blow out the two candles as a sign of becoming one. Their minister said that many people were now leaving their individual candles lit to signify independence and personal freedom. He asked if they wanted to extinguish the candles or leave them burning. After thinking about it, David replied, "How about if we leave mine lit and blow hers out?"

Unity is not about everyone doing the same things in exactly the same way.  We are bound by scripture and from the scriptures we must not stray but when the “change agent” is simply proposing a different way of accomplishing a scriptural practice then we are simply discussing matters of opinion.  Arguments, strife, bitterness and even splits have been caused by matters as insignificant as what song book to use or whether or not a fellowship hall can have a roof higher than eight feet tall to accommodate basketball goals.

Whenever you bring a group of people together under a common banner there are bound to be disagreements.  When disagreements occur in a family you have only two choices.  You can decide to no longer live together as a family or you can decide that the good of the family is better served by accepting your family member and their opinion.  The church is a family.  When disagreements arise we must put our disagreements to the test.  Is it a matter of faith or is it an opinion?  If we cannot appeal to scripture for our opinion then we must preserve the unity of the Lord’s Church. To decide that we can no longer live together as the family that we are, in this case would be sin. It is for the good of the church and the work of God that we receive our brothers as Christ has received them.  If we as a family of God would realize that we have no choice but to work things out then the work of God could continue unrestrained and God would be given the glory.


Let us heed the Restoration call!  Let’s speak where the bible speaks, and let us be silent where the bible is silent. Remember, just because you don’t like it does not mean God don’t like it.

by Emmett Smith

As Moses prepared himself and the children of Israel for Joshua's succession and their entry into the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 32:46,47), he issued a solemn warning. His exhortation to the people was that that they would take all his warnings to heart, that they would command them to their children, and that they should "be careful to do all the words of this law". In emphasizing the importance of keeping the law he said, "For it is no empty word for you, but your very life". God's word is not empty, but full of life for those who heed it.

I'm sure most of us have heard or perhaps said of someone that he or she should "get a life". The implication is that some lifestyles are better than others. When Jesus said, " I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10), wasn't that His point? His mission was to make the abundant life available to all who would accept it, life so abundant that it transcends death itself! In his description of Jesus as the divine Word, John told us that, "In him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4).

Choose Christ. Choose life.

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator" (Colossians 3:2-10).

By Michael E. Brooks

“For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14).

In March, 1999 Lamar Plunket and I visited the village of Mauda, in Makwanpur district, Nepal. This is a region of the “middle hills” of Nepal, which reach an altitude of six to eight thousand feet, or perhaps a little more. Though only “hills” in that nation of the massive Himalayas, they are rugged and often quite inhospitable. We spent several days as guests of Tek Bahadur, a Nepali Christian with a family of eleven children who farmed a small area of land at the base of one of the higher hills.

In the summer of 2001 Makwanpur was struck by heavy rains, which in turn led to landslides. Mauda suffered extensive slides, one of which buried Tek Bahadur’s home, killing Tek and all of his family except for one young daughter. Death is not uncommon, and we all experience its sorrow as it takes family members and friends. But death on this scale, so sudden, still surprises, shocks and saddens us. Events like this also cause us to reflect upon our own mortality and the importance of proper priorities.

Death is certain. It is only the timing which we do not know. The Hebrew writer states, “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Death is impartial and the fact of death does not constitute judgment against us, or any form of prejudice or discrimination. We see it as unfair and evil. It is not. We are mortal in this flesh and we must all die, except for those who are alive when Jesus returns. Yes, there is something tragic about the simultaneous deaths of whole families or villages in natural disasters. And the deaths of the young offend us with the loss of untapped potential. Yet death itself is not the enemy.

Perhaps I should point out that I am speaking here of physical death, the end of life in this earthly body. There is another way in which the word death is used and that is another subject entirely. John describes the actions of God following the second coming of Christ and the judging of all the dead. “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Revelation 20:14). Spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God who made it. It is an eternal agony in darkness, with only evil and hopelessness as companions. This death is not certain for everyone. This death may be avoided, by faith in God and righteous living, for the second death is only for “those who know not God and …obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8).

As shocking and saddening as the sudden deaths of Tek Bahadur and his family were to me personally, I was comforted by the knowledge of their Christian faith. Their deaths were only of the physical body, that which was certain to come at some point. Though I am not their judge, I have every reason to trust the promises of Jesus who assured us, “whoever confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32). Tek Bahadur, his wife, and their responsible children had confessed faith in Jesus. We are greatly comforted.

by Tim Hall

While growing up in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, my cousins and I occasionally enjoyed the thrills of cave exploration. "The Water Caves", as they were known, were a vast network of underground passageways, complete with a subterranean river, blind fish and a colony of bats. Hours were spent inside those caverns, and it's a wonder no one was ever seriously injured.

The most dangerous part of our treks was in the last few yards leading to the mouth of the cave. The opening was located on the side of a sheer cliff, and scaling that ledge took patience, agility and the guidance of an observer. The guide would call out where to place your foot, how to reach around for a better grip, etc. A fall from that cliff was a real possibility. Flawed advice could have resulted in someone being seriously injured (or worse).

In John 7, we read of people who were seeking to enter the kingdom of God. This man Jesus who had recently burst upon the scene was the subject of many conversations. Some were getting close to developing genuine faith in Him. John enables us to eavesdrop on some of their discussions.

Many, for example, were saying, "'Truly this is the Prophet.' Others said, 'This is the Christ,' but some said, 'Will the Christ come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?'" (John 7:40-42, New King James Version). Obviously, some were on the verge of concluding that Jesus of Nazareth was actually the Messiah. But then someone interjected flawed guidance. "Check this Man's pedigree," they said. "He doesn't fulfill the prophecy about the Messiah's home town."

They were so close to the entrance of the kingdom. But because they trusted someone they thought was an authority, it appears they were thrown off course. What should these seekers have done? They should have objected, "How do you know Jesus was not born in Bethlehem? Why don't we go ask Him." The question of where Jesus was born was indeed significant. Why leave such vital information to someone else? Why not make absolutely sure you have the truth?

It happens again later in the chapter. Nicodemus, who had already shown an inclination to faith in Jesus (John 3), spoke up on behalf of Jesus: "'Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?' They answered and said to him, 'Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee'" (John 7:51,52). Again, a good opportunity for further questioning: "How do we know He's from Galilee? Has anyone asked Him about His birthplace?" But it seems most people were intimidated by "the experts", and chose to accept their erroneous conclusions rather than go straight to the source.

"The experts"; they're still among us today. There's no need for us to study for ourselves, we're told. These guys have advanced degrees and have gone beyond the meager understanding of the past. Our ancestors in the faith were well-intentioned, but we now have deeper insights. Convictions we held a generation ago are no longer valid. Or so we are led to believe.

Acts 17:11 is as crucial today as ever: "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." Search the Scriptures; don't be content with what others tell you. That formula would have prevented many from being derailed in Jesus' day. It will keep us on track in the 21st century.