by Steve Preston

If you are a faithful follower of God, then the above question will be asked of you, in one form or another, at some point in your life. The question may be "Why do you go to church?" or "Why do you read your Bible all the time?" They all come down to the same thing, and that is why we, or anyone, should serve Jesus. Any Christian should be able to answer this question. It is, therefore, the aim of this lesson to encourage all Christians in their spiritual life and to list just a few reasons why being a servant of our Lord Jesus Christ will always be the best life.

1. Because Jesus has the power to forgive sins. "... that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins" (Matthew 9:6).

2. Because Jesus will give rest to His laborers. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

3. Because serving Jesus is the only way to the Father. "... no man cometh unto the Father but by me" (John 14:6).

4. Because Jesus first loved us. "We love him, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19).

5. Because all spiritual blessings are in Christ. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).

6. Because with God on our side we cannot be opposed. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).

Certainly these few scriptures do not exhaust all possible verses that could be used to confirm that the Christian life is the best life. They do, however, show that with just a simple reading of the Bible, great encouragement to "live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" by "... denying ungodliness and worldly lusts" (Titus 2:12) can be found.

by Jim McDoniel

When I was young, my mother objected strongly to my sister or me telling the other to "Shut Up." Those words said in assertive fashion were simply not to be in our vocabularies.

Later in life, I heard that teachers were encouraged not to tell an unruly class to "Shut up and sit down." However, just maybe, under the right circumstances, the words could be used. What do you think about them?

On his television show, Dr. Phil McGraw was speaking to a mother and her sister who yelled constantly at one another and at a son and nephew. He told the mother, "You need to shut up!" His audience applauded.

ESPN radio has the weekly "Just Shut Up Award." I never participate in the voting to determine who gets the award, but I rather enjoy hearing that the listening audience would like to tell some sports person who has complained too much to "Just Shut Up."

I trust that civilized people are concerned about making sure their choice of words is appropriate for all to hear. Still, I remember the admonition of Paul regarding how much we speak. His words, chosen by the Holy Spirit, are certainly appropriate.

He writes, "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you" (1 Thessalonians 4:11, KJV).

Again in 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12, "For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread."

Surely, these are enough words for today. After all, I would not want to earn someone’s "Please Shut Up Award."

by Steve Preston

In the state of Georgia, controversy erupted recently over the public display of the Ten Commandments. Lawsuits have been brought against individuals in positions of authority, challenging the posting of the Ten Commandments in government buildings and schools. This apparently has become an issue of separation of church and state.

What I find really interesting is that people, even those who have long studied the Scriptures, seem to consider the Ten Commandments as applicable to us today (they are not, Romans 7:4, 6; Colossians 2:14). What is also interesting is that, of the commandments that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ called the greatest, neither is found among the Ten Commandments.

In Matthew 22:36, a lawyer asked Jesus this question: "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" As with most questions asked of Jesus, this one was a test to see if He would answer "correctly."

Our Lord gave this reply: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Matthew 22:37-39).

These two commandments are of such great importance that Jesus stated that "on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (verse 40). Why is it that people today want to cling to an old law that can do nothing for us and yet ignore the teaching of the Saviour in Matthew 22? (This teaching is also found in Mark 12:28-31.) Even if we concede that Jesus lived and died under the Old Testament law, which included the Ten Commandments, it is clear that God intended all people for all time to adhere to the two "great commandments."

Why can I state this? Because in Mark 12, when the person asking about the greatest (or first) commandment agreed with Jesus' answer, our Lord replied, "Thou art not far from the kingdom of God" (Mark 12:34). Undoubtedly, then, one must love God with one's whole being and love one's neighbor in order to be a part of the kingdom of God.

In the Scriptures, the kingdom and the church are identified with each other, so the great commandments apply to us today as well as to the men and women of the Old Testament.

The greatest commandments were indeed part of the old law, but they are also part of the new law. We cannot be pleasing to God unless we love him with all our heart, soul, and mind, and love our neighbor as ourselves.

Display the Ten Commandments if you wish, but it would be better to display the greatest commandments in our lives every day.

Steve publishes the Bible Talk list, from which this article was reprinted, with his permission: ttp://www.topica.com/lists/list_BibleTalk

by Hardeman Nichols

When a congregation is established according to the divine pattern of the New Testament, it is composed of elements of perfection and imperfection. Since it is a divine institution, it deserves respect and appreciation. Everything that such a church is and does, as authorized by God, is divine. God’s part is perfect. He has designed a perfect plan of salvation and a perfect system of worship (2 Timothy 3:16,17). The Bible is its only guide, is "the perfect law of liberty" (James 1:25). The church has a perfect Savior who holds before us his perfect goal for our life, saying, "Follow Me" (Matthew 16:24).

But here is the paradox. Man is not perfect, nor does he perfectly follow the Lord. The human element in the church is as imperfect as its members. The church would have been an imperfect institution if it had been designed only for perfect people. It would have no members at all, "For there is not a just man upon the earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not" (Ecclesiastes 7:20, KJV).

Its perfection is retained by the way it deals with our imperfections. It does not overlook sin but believes the grace of God is perfect in dealing with it. And it must distinguish between the penitent and rebellious, between the humble weak and willful reprobate. God now "commandeth all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). The church believes that Christ promises pardon for all imperfect beings who, in godly sorrow for their sins, penitently seek mercy and forgiveness. His invitation is to imperfect men. When one repents and is baptized, Jesus forgives his sins and adds him to his church (Acts 2:38,47).

The church offers strength to help us in our weaknesses, courage when we are faint-hearted, comfort when we are sad, and "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Peter 1:8), along the way. Its call is to all men to come and be saved. Its God-ordained teachings and services restore lost humanity back to God. Thanks be unto God for his perfect church and its wondrous benefits to imperfect men.

Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol 3, page 54.

Maxie B. Boren

A close acquaintance once remarked to Samuel Coleridge, the noted Englishman of the early 19th century, about his infant son of whom he was so proud, "I don't intend to teach my son anything about God. I will let him grow up, and when he is old enough to judge for himself, he can choose whether to believe or not."

As the two men walked together, they paused at the site of Mr. Coleridge's garden. Samuel spoke, "I had thought about setting out some strawberry plants this spring, but you have given me an idea. I think I'll wait until about mid-summer and see whether the garden would prefer the strawberry plants or weeds." "But, Samuel," intervened the friend, "by then the weeds will have taken over; you can't afford to wait." Then thoughtfully, Mr. Coleridge looked his friend in the eye and replied, "Yes, you are right about that. And in like manner, so also will the weeds of doubt and unbelief take over the mind of your son in due time unless you start teaching him now that there is a God, and that Jesus is God's Son."

Why can't Christian parents seem to grasp that simple truth? . . . the time to set out the strawberry plants is before the weeds have taken over the garden area. And the time to train a child about God, about Jesus, and the way of righteousness is NOW! . . . while little minds are receptive and pliable. One of the greatest tragedies of our time is that the church, yea, Christian parents, are losing so many of our young people!

Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol 4., page 76.