Archives for November 2018

A great sadness in my life is the memory of a man who, during his life and at the end of his life, refused to come to Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He simply stated, as the gospel was presented to him one last time, “That is not the type of life that I have lived.” I suppose he was right. He was not a man that thought often of Christ and His sacrifice; this man’s life was certainly not lived putting Christ first in all things that he did. That being said, this man was not a bad man. He had a moral standard that he lived by in life. He loved his family and worked hard for them and always tried to do right by others. Yet, that life is not enough in the eyes of God to attain salvation and the promise of eternal life (cf. Acts 10). Jesus Christ is the only way possible for man to make the journey to God (John 14:6).

Jesus spoke a parable in Matthew 20:1-16, referred to as the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. Jesus likened this parable to the kingdom of heaven. It was about a landowner that went out early in the day to hire laborers to come into his vineyard to work. They agreed on a fair wage, a denarius, and so the laborers went to the vineyard. Again in the third hour of the day the landowner went to the streets, saw some standing idle and agreed with them to go work in the vineyard. The landowner said that whatever pay was right at the end of the day, he would pay. The landowner went out in the sixth, ninth and eleventh hours as well. He did according to what he had done in the third hour regarding work and pay, and more workers went to the vineyard.

As evening came, the land owner had the steward call the workers so that he could make their compensation right. Some of the workers had been in the vineyard since the very beginning of the day and some went into the field at different hours while some only put in an hour’s work. Those that worked for one hour received the same pay as those that began their work at the beginning of the day. Those that received the same wage for more work complained against the landowner, to which the land owner replied,

Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way, I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is you eye evil because I am good? So the last will be first, and the first last: For many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 20:13-16).

The gospel is presented to different people at different times in their lives. Some become Christians at very young ages; others wait until late in life before they accept Christ and put Him on in baptism. The truth of the matter is, to have hope of eternal life, we must go into the vineyard at whatever time we can go. Christ died for all (2 Corinthians 5:15). We should want to live a life for Christ. If, however, that desire—that commitment comes late in life, Jesus Christ is still our Savior and it is still His blood that cleanses our sins. It is my prayer that people don’t think, “That is not the life I have lived” in denying the hope that is in Christ Jesus.

It is true that many live most of their lives to enjoy the pleasures of this world. That does not change the fact that Christ died for them also. Please know that Jesus is the Savior of us all and in Him hope reigns eternal. I know that my grandfather will stand before Christ not living a life in Him. I pray, however, your heart will be touched and you will not make the same decision. Won’t you become a Christian? You must believe that Jesus is the Son of God (Mark 15:15-16). You must confess your faith (Matthew 10:32-33). You must repent of you sins (Luke 13:3). You must be baptized (Acts 2:38).

Scott is the minister at the Elm Grove Church of Christ. Meeting times are Sunday at 9:30 a.m. for Bible class and 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. for worship. Mid-week Bible study is on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. All are invited.

I was recently asked to speak at Vacation Bible School in St. Clairsville Ohio. The theme for the week was “Exploring the Wonders of the God Who Loves Us”. My assigned topic for that particular night was “Wonderful Purpose”. The assigned reading was the conversion of Saul in Acts 9 and Ephesians 2:1-10. It is a challenging thought to consider, “What is my purpose in life?” When I was younger, I had my purpose figured out or so I thought. I was going to take the field every Sunday in the Astrodome in Houston, as I suited up for the Oilers.  I spent a lot of time and focus on that dream and for a while forgot the realities of what God’s purpose was for me. Chasing dreams is for every individual, but must be done with God’s commands in mind. Solomon summed up what man’s focus in life should be, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgement, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 11:13-14). Let us consider the purpose God had for Saul as well as the direction the Apostle Paul gave to the Ephesians.

Saul was a man who had brought great persecution upon the church, thinking that this was the will of God. He was a Pharisee who had excelled in education and training in the traditions of his fathers (Galatians 1:14).   Saul had the wrong understanding of God’s will, and before being confronted by Christ on the road to Damascus, had the wrong purpose. After this confrontation, Saul was directed to go on to Damascus where Ananias (who had a vision from God) was instructed to meet with Saul. Ananias, through great fear, questioned God about meeting with Saul because of Saul’s violent history against the Lord’s church.  It was then that God spoke to Ananias about the great purpose that Saul would fulfill.  But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, Kings and children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:15-16). Indeed Saul served a wonderful purpose in his life by spreading the gospel of Christ and he suffered physically, emotionally and mentally for doing so. The man who once brought Christian men and women into prison as well as consented to the death of other Christians (Acts 8:1) would become a great servant of purpose for the Lord.

As Saul had focus and purpose in his life following his conversion, it allowed him to teach others of the great love of God and the hope of eternal life that comes through Christ. The apostle Paul, as he would later become known, made many missionary trips to spread the good news of the Gospel. One trip included a stop in Ephesus. Finding disciples, he began teaching and many were converted to Christ (Acts 19). Sometime after leaving this city and traveling to other cities, he communicated through letter with these disciples at Ephesus.  His goal was not only to help them understand their great riches but also to encourage them on their spiritual walk. They had been made alive through Christ (Ephesians 2:1). They were spiritually dead and without hope because of sin at one time, but God showed His great love and mercy so that through Christ they were made alive with Him (Ephesians 2:5). Because of this, they and subsequently, we, are His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). We are created for good works so that we should walk in them. Our purpose then is not to live a life to fulfill the lusts of the flesh but rather one that is filled with Christ-like intentions. To do the will of the father who is in heaven. We should live by “GPS”, God’s Plan for the Sinner. This plan gives us the route that leads to heaven and directs us to walk humbly (Micah 6:8). It allows us to be fruitful (Colossians 1:10). Not only should we walk with Christ, but we should also be a witness of the greatness of Christ (1 Peter 2:9). Having a purpose for God will allow us to teach (Matthew 28:18-20) and be a light (Matthew 5:14-16). This life of purpose leads us to victory. Jesus overcame the world (John 16:33) and in Him we will also.

The apostle Paul is often looked at for his life of servitude and encouragement for others. Paul once lived a life with the wrong purpose but when directed by God, he became one of the greatest examples of purpose that we can study. Paul thought about his purpose often as he went about living a Christian life. He became a man of great love for the Lord’s church and suffered greatly because of it. The wonderful purpose for you and me is to live with the same mindset. I am a sinner and yet God loves me. I face a decision as to how to live my life and living for God will bring me His mercy. Living for God brings that mercy which gives me hope and God desires for me to have that hope of eternal life (2 Peter 3:9). I pray that God’s servants think often of what lies ahead of them and the purpose that they must fulfill.

Scott is the minister at the Elm Grove Church of Christ. Meeting times are Sunday at 9:30 am for bible class and 10:30 am and 6:30 pm for worship. Mid-week Bible study is on Wednesday at 6:30 pm. All are invited.