By Michael E. Brooks

"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me" (Psalm 51:1-3).

Dan Stokes, of Paragould, Arkansas, was working on a campaign in Springlands, Guyana when he saw a local Hindu lady come running out of her home onto the main road carrying a snake on her broom. She threw the snake onto the road surface and a crowd (made up of more Hindus) quickly gathered. With sticks and brooms they prodded the snake, keeping it in the road. As traffic neared they would draw back to let the cars by. None of the people injured the snake, but they would not allow it to escape. The first several cars saw it, and swerved to avoid it. Finally a taxi came, driven by someone of another religion. The driver saw the situation, took aim and drove over the snake, killing it. The crowd quickly dispersed. The job was done, the snake disposed of, BUT NONE OF THEM HAD KILLED IT. Their consciences were clean; the requirements of their religion fulfilled.

Does that remind us of certain Biblical characters? Perhaps Adam who said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree ..." (Genesis 3:12). Or Cain who asked, "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9). People are often very good at finding ways to excuse their actions, absolving themselves of responsibility when sin results.

David's frank acknowledgment of his sin, and his sincere repentance, stand in sharp contrast to those instances cited above. David knew what he had done, and he knew who was responsible. No excuses. No blame. David did not say, "the woman had no business bathing in plain view." He did not say, "Uriah should have kept his wife under better control." No he simply said, "I did it; I have sinned; I am guilty." Such is the nature of true repentance. That attitude prepares us for real change in our lives, and it enables God to practice true forgiveness.

One of the most important doctrines found in Christianity is the doctrine of individual responsibility before God. Every human being has God-given freedom of choice. We all are accountable to God for the choices we make.

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Galatians 6:7).

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10).

There will be no shifting of the blame in judgment –- no excuses! We all must answer to God for every word, deed and thought done on this earth. We all have access to the knowledge of his will. We all have opportunity for redemption in Christ. We all are responsible.

By Michael E. Brooks

"Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers" (1 Corinthians 3:5-9a).

After several years of enduring a "yard" of weeds, barren of shrubs, flowers, or any adornment, my wife, Brenda, and I have more recently spent nearly all of our "spare" time on landscaping and gardening. Our latest project was mulching all our foundation plantings and flower beds. Several pickup loads of shredded bark now cover the ground, keeping out weeds, preserving moisture, shading roots, and looking good to boot. This whole process has reinforced my early childhood opinion –- gardening is hard work! That opinion is now tempered, however, with the additional observation that the rewards are great. It is well worth the effort.

Are not the same principles true of working in the vineyard of the Lord? Christian service is hard work, but well worth it. We are partners of Jesus Christ, fellow workers with God himself. It just does not get any better than that. Christians are involved in the greatest labor on earth. Whether our ministry is preaching, teaching, edifying, helping, or leading by example, we are pursuing an eternal reward for ourselves and for those we serve. No goal is higher. No accomplishment is greater.

The metaphor of gardening (or farming) is one often used by Jesus and the Apostles in describing the work of Christians. Jesus prayed for "laborers in the harvest" (Matthew 9:22). He often used agricultural parables to illustrate truths concerning God and his kingdom (Matthew 13). Paul compared the preacher to "the hard-working farmer" (2 Timothy 2:6). And perhaps most famously he identified himself and Apollos as "those who planted and watered" in Corinth (1 Corinthians 3:5ff). These texts, along with many others, suggest several principles regarding our service to God.

First, there is important work for the Christian to do. Perhaps God could have arranged for the salvation of the world in some direct, miraculous manner, not using human help in any way. However, he did not. He chose to save the world through preaching (1 Corinthians 1:21; Romans 10:13-17). That means he chose to have humans assist him in achieving his eternal purpose. We are his fellow workers! You and I have meaning -- purpose in life. We matter. That is a great blessing, one which many may not appreciate, until the meaning-less-ness of their own lives leads them to depression and failure.

Secondly, like farming or gardening, Christian service is hard work, with many steps along the way. Ground must be broken with plow or hoe. Seed beds must be prepared, then the seeds planted. Weeds must be hoed or pulled, and fertilizer added. Young plants must be watered and they need to be mulched. Finally, at the end of the season the harvest must be gathered and processed, with the whole procedure beginning anew in a few short months. There is need for many laborers, and for each one to work diligently. Paul points out that no one has to do (or can do) all this alone. Each has his own gift, his or her own talent within the general area of Christian service. Some are planters. Some can better water. Others can plow, or hoe, or mulch. There is room and need for all. Recognizing this removes jealousy and pride. I do not own the vineyard. I do not deserve credit for the harvest. Others have done equally important work along the way. And none of us caused the increase. That was given by God. Be grateful for it, but never claim it as a personal accomplishment. We are his workers; the vineyard belongs to him. Pray for more laborers.

By Michael E. Brooks

"He who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in him I will trust'" (Psalm 91:1,2).

Last Sunday afternoon in Columbia, South Carolina, I attended the funeral of my father's younger brother, Paul Brooks. I was asked to read Psalm 91 during the service. About a week before his death a young nurse had come into his hospital room and quoted this psalm from memory, and Uncle Paul's family thought it was fitting for it to be read at the memorial service. He had frequently commented on the nurse's quoting of the Psalm, and was very impressed that "she knew the whole thing by heart." More importantly, he was greatly comforted by its simple assertion of the value of trusting God.

"God is my refuge and my fortress!" What a simple yet powerful statement. Every day we find more evidence of the evil and uncertainty of the world in which we live. Enemies abound. Natural disasters are commonplace. Disease, accident and crime kill thousands daily, and cripple many more. As James says, "what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). Where do we go to find safety? We must even ask the question, "can it be found?"

The Psalmist's answer is an emphatic "Yes!" There is security in trusting God. "Surely he shall deliver you" (Psalm 91:3). "A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you" (Psalm 91:7). These bold promises must be taken less than literally, of course. Faithful soldiers are killed in battle. Good Christians become ill, suffer and die. Faith in God does not prevent all accidents, illnesses or disasters. Yet it is still true that evil does not overcome those who trust in God. The New Testament expresses it in these terms:

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit…And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose…What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?…Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:1, 28, 31, 37-39).

Bad things do happen to good people. But almighty, all loving God, our Father, can preserve our eternal souls through those things, and can comfort and secure us in the midst of them. Trust in God. He is our refuge and our fortress.

By Michael E. Brooks

"Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:14).

Overpopulation is one of the world's greatest problems. More than six billion people now crowd this planet, with two nations (China and India) hosting populations of more than one billion each. China has imposed strict regulations governing family planning in an effort to limit future population growth. Western cultures have achieved similar results through education and peer pressure. Still, the world continues to hold more and more humans each year.

Increased population means more little children. And therein lies a paradox for many. We don't want more people than the earth can reasonably sustain. But we love children. They are precious, even priceless, and we know that we must continue to replenish the earth. Therefore our attitude towards "population growth" is mixed. Obviously the answer is to continue to have children, just not too many. Equally obviously, such a goal is easier to state than to achieve.

My visits to Asia have helped me understand the enormity of the problem. They have also helped me to appreciate the value of children. Whenever I visit a new village in Bangladesh, India or Nepal I am overwhelmed by the sheer number of children that greet me. I am a novelty to many of them and they are eager to see and touch me. They love for me to take their picture. They attend all meetings and studies and enjoy hearing the Bible taught. Their openness and affection helps illuminate Jesus' statement, "of such is the kingdom of God", and his teaching that "whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it" (Mark 10:15).

The Bible is clear that God loves children.

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is his reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate" (Psalm 127:3-5).

The question of how many children should be born each year, or to whom, is difficult. Much less difficult is the attitude which we should have to those who are born. We must value and love them. We must protect and care for them. And we must bring them to Jesus.

by Michael Brooks

"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:1-2).

We have often heard that any religious movement, political system, or other human endeavor is "only one generation away from failure." One of the great frustrations of the human experience is the feeling of impermanence. This troubled the Preacher in Ecclesiastes. "For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?" (Ecclesiastes 6:12). Our mortality ensures that no human can ever begin anything in certainty that it will remain forever. We must pass on all our material accomplishments to others who may or may not preserve them.

It was with full knowledge of human frailty and impermanence that Paul gave instructions to Timothy as to how to preserve faithfulness in the church. First, be strong and steadfast yourself. Any who care for the continuance of genuine, Biblical faith must display it personally. No relay runner can pass on a baton that he does not hold. No one can provide for the continuance of religious convictions who is not himself convicted. If Christian service was to pass from Paul through Timothy on to other generations, each link in the chain must be strong in the grace of Christ Jesus.

Second, Timothy was to teach others "to teach others." These teachers must be "faithful" -- i.e., both dependable and full of faith in Jesus. It is significant that Paul did not anticipate that faith would replicate itself unceasingly without effort. The carrying on of the work requires training and work. Paul had first taught Timothy. Timothy was to train the next generation by committing to them those things taught him by Paul. They, in turn, were to teach others still, and so the process continued. Almost two thousand years later we continue to be the beneficiaries of, and participants in, this process.

This past March I was in Darjeeling district in India, conducting Gospel meetings and seminars. One day we baptized 15 people in a local river. While the baptisms were taking place I took a picture of a very cute baby boy, sitting in the gravel by the river playing with the rocks. Later I saw him in the arms of his mother, one of the new Christians from that day. Next to her was a girl in her mid-teens, also baptized on the same occasion. I learned that the teenage girl is the daughter of a lady that was baptized about eight years ago in East Nepal, during a campaign that I was conducting then. I could not help but reflect on the continuity of our work as demonstrated by these events, and then offer prayer that in another fifteen years or so someone would be baptizing the young son of this other mother who is now a Christian.

The most significant aspect of this whole process is the enormous weight it gives to personal responsibility. No one is likely to be more influential in the faith (or lack of faith) of that little boy than his mother. I am certain that the teenager who became a Christian did so largely because her mother has been faithful these last eight years and has taught her to believe in Jesus. The ongoing faithfulness of the church in the future is not primarily dependant upon schools, lectureships, or brotherhood journals. It is much more likely to be determined by how each Christian parent influences their children, and by how older Christians in every congregation teach in their Bible classes and give an example of mature Christianity in their daily lives. Let us each follow God’s plan for continuity. Be strong and teach others!