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What Is Involved
In
Christian Responsibility?
A true Christian is a Christ-like person in words, thoughts and
actions. He denies himself for the sake of Jesus. Jesus said, "If anyone
desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross daily, and follow Me." (Luke 9:23) The Christian works
in a life changing way by bringing every thought into subjection or captivity
to Christ. "Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself
against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5) There is no privilege on earth
greater than that of being a Christian.
A Christian is a person that has, from the heart, obeyed the
gospel of Christ. (Acts 2:36-41) The world can see the difference as this
person lives a Christ-like life. (2 Timothy 2:19) When a person dies to sin,
and is buried with Christ in baptism, they are to arise to walk in newness of
life. (Romans 6:1-4) A true Christian will be steady and unshakable in the
faith of Jesus Christ; thus accepting his or her Christian responsibility. What
is involved in Christian responsibility?
Christian responsibility includes living a consistent Christian life. The
Bible teaches personal responsibility and accountability to
God. We are accountable to God
for the life we live. The sadness of all sadnesses
would be for death to come and find us as failures in living a consistent
Christian life. And certainly we all know that death will come for, "It is
appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment." (Hebrews
9:27) If death should come now how would it find you spiritually? "But why
do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we
shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: ‘As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And
every tongue shall confess to God.' So then each of us shall give account of
himself to God." (Romans 14:10-12)
Christian responsibility includes being a Christian example.
Christian growth should bring us to the point of a life of love, peace, joy and
meekness. We should be like our master, Jesus Christ. Paul wrote, "But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those
who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we
live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become
conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." (Galatians
5:22-26) Following this simple teaching will produce a powerful Christian
example.
Christian responsibility includes daily Bible study. It is from
the Bible that we learn of God. We read, "In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1) It is from the Bible that we learn
God's will for man. It is from the Bible that we learn our responsibility
toward God. The Bible is God's word. When we think of the Bible
"Revelation" is the key word. I do not here speak of the book of
Revelation, but that the Bible came by revelation of God. (2 Peter 1:21) The
Bible is trustworthy and dependable. Have you read your Bible today?
Christian responsibility includes having the right attitude.
Our attitude toward our spouse, children, parents, siblings, neighbors,
co-workers and fellow Christians will be one factor that will determine our
eternal destiny. Is my attitude toward others what a Christian's attitude
should be? A true Christian must always have the right attitude about life. He
can, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"
(Philippians 4:4) Why would I not keep my attitude right if I believe that
"all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are
the called according to His purpose?" (Romans 8:28.)
Christian responsibility includes attending all the services of the
church. Christians are warned to, "not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so
much the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25) I need the
strength of Christian fellowship. I want my attitude to be that of David when
he said, "I was glad when they said to me, Let us go into the house of the
Lord." (Psalm 122:1) Jesus will be present in the assembly, will you?
"It is a fearful thing to fall into God’s hands" guilty of willfully
forsaking the assembly of the church. (Hebrews 10:24-31)
Christian responsibility includes a daily prayer life. Prayer is both a responsibility and a privilege for a Christian. Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7) Many of the great promises of Jesus relate to prayer. For example, Jesus said, "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (Matthew 21:22) God does answer the prayer of a faithful Christian. The Christian life must be a life of daily prayer.
Christian responsibility includes scriptural giving. Our giving
must include the giving of our time, talent and money. But, if we do not give
our money it is difficult to give anything else. "Do not lay up for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves
break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures
in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break
in and steal." (Matthew 6:19-20) What a statement -- "Where your
treasure is there will your heart be also." Where is your heart? Jesus
said, "Give, and it will be given to you: good
measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your
bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to
you." (Luke 6:38.) Our giving or lack of it, can
either cause God to withhold blessings from us or to give so much we can not
even receive all that He gives. (Malachi 3:8-11) Let us learn to be liberal in
our giving.
Christian responsibility includes our efforts to save those who are not
Christians. It is the responsibility of one Christian to teach another
about Christ. "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." (II Timothy 2:2) Evangelism is a command of the Lord Jesus.
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to
every creature." (Mark
Before you can fulfill Christian responsibility you must become a Christian. This means you must be born again. (John 3:3-5) When God's word is planted in our hearts we are begotten of the Spirit. (I Peter 1:22-23) Trust in Jesus as Lord and Christ leads to true repentance. (Acts 17:30-31) We are born into God's family by being baptized in obedience to the truth. (Romans 6:3-4) The Bible says, "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:26-27) Are you a Christian? Are you fulfilling your Christian responsibility?
- - - -
Charles Box
News & Notes
1. Prayer
List: In Need Of Prayers: Michelle Bagents, Abby Barr, James Barr
(brother of Jerry Barr), Linda Bender, V.P. Black, Dawn Bradley, Emily Cain,
Meryln Carter, Marie Curlee (awaiting surgery), Evie Fisher (friend of Dennis
Phillips Jr.), Roy Goodwin, Ramona Gravely, Montine Hardin, Jean Harrell,
Latrell Harrell, Evan Hartsell, Gwen Henderson, Frank Johnson, Darrell Jones,
Mary Lawrence, Susan Murphy, Steve Osborne, Mary Powell, John Reynolds, R.B.
Stabler (awaiting surgery), Peggy Stabler, Roger Strange, Raisa
Tarasous (mother of Lena Littlefield & Nastia Tarasova), Doris Taylor,
Winston Temple, Brittany Till, Corrine Till, Barbara Walker, and Leroy Waller. Crowne
Health Care: Kathy Johnson, Myrtle Perdue, and Iva Lou Wright.
2. Please Pray For: The
following people are serving in Iraq: Sam Sanders, son of Jerry Sanders, Jason
Godwin, son of Barbara Walker, Michael Howell, grandson of Clifford and Ella
Mae McCarter, Kimberly Williams, cousin of Marie Owens and Brenda Herring, and
Taylor Bodie, grandson-in-law of William & Margaret Pierce. Pray for them
often!
3. Congratulations: Our
prayers and love are with Jeremy and Beth Day. They where married on January 27th.
Please keep them in your prayers.
4. 2007 Church Budget: Our
Elders have challenged us with a weekly budget of $6,427.38 for 2007. If we all
give as God has blessed us that will be no problem. “But this I say: He who
sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also
reap bountifully.” (II Cor. 9:6)
5. Birthdays: Celebrating
birthdays this week are: February 6th Adam
Garlock, February 7th Terrie Lynn Bagents, January
8th Chris Bagents and Mary Lou Terrell, and February
10th Cage Harrell.
6.
7. Food Room A
Great Work: Your contributions made possible a great work of providing food
for many families. In 2006 through our regular food room we served 181
households. Some of them received food several times. There were 12,384 pounds
of food given at a cost of $1,580.84. Thirty-seven households were served
through our Senior Supplement program. This program provides a box each month
for each household. These households received 17,126 pounds of food and
supplies. You gave $1,850 to make this
possible. Your contributions made it possible for more than 14 tones of food
and supplies to be given during 2006. God bless you for giving and a special
thank you to those that have helped with this great effort!
8. Visiting Speaker: One of
our new endeavors for 2007 is to support Kelly Windham as he attends Northwest
Florida School of Biblical Studies. We will have an opportunity to know him he
will preach for us on Sunday night, March 4th.
9. Thank You: To the church
family, I want to thank each and every one of you for the many thoughts and
prayers during my mom’s illness and death. It has been such a comfort to know
that so many people truly care. My mother was my very best friend and I will
miss her dearly. In Christian Love, Stacy Davis
10. Put These Dates On Your Calendar: (a) Feb. 3rd – North Lowndes Church of Christ – Ladies Day – Gladys Deese – Topic “Wearing the Logo for Christianity” – Time 9:30 a.m. until lunch. (b) Mar. 5-8, 2007 – Faulkner University – Annual Bible Lectures – Theme: Our God, He is Alive (c) Mar. 25-29 – Memphis School of Preaching – Theme “Epistles To Corinth” – See the bulletin board for speakers and schedule of events. (d) April 27-28 – Marriage Seminar – Walnut Street Church of Christ – Speakers Glenn & Cindy Colley (e) Sept. 24-26, 2007 – Regions University – Spiritual Enrichment Forum – Embassy Suites, Montgomery.
The Beginning Of
Knowledge
Solomon wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7). Noah possessed
such knowledge that he was the only man in the entire world who was able
to save his family from God’s wrath, which came to life in the great flood.
What made Noah different (Heb 11:7)? He was “moved with fear.” There was
no logical reason for Noah to build a great barge-like boat. It is believed by
some scholars that there had never even been a rainstorm up to that point in
the world! A knowledge that came by fear separated Noah from the rest of the
world. People in Noah’s day knew some things, but not what it took to
save them from the flood. The “knowledge” that is referred to in Proverbs is more than facts and
information…it is the knowledge that counts! And only the fear of the
Lord will lead you to that knowledge.
The fear of the Lord comes in different stages. First, fear comes as a natural
reaction to some-thing that frightens us. Learning of God’s might and wrath for
the first time will incite this reaction. Second, fear should become productive. This fear motivates one to act. A
follower of God will begin to hate evil (Psa
119:104). Third, fear causes a person to stand in Awe of God. This is
when we begin to learn that the Lord is compassionate. Hope begins to
surface! The fourth stage is reverent
fear. At this stage, we have established
a relationship with God. We have made God the ruler of our lives, submitting
completely to His will.
(Adapted from Wisdom’s Call by: Drew Kizer)
Sometimes you will hear of fear that “paralyses” people and
hinders them from functioning properly. This
reaction is not what God intends our righteous fear of Him cause. He wants us
to be like those whose fear starts the adrenaline flowing and triggers swift,
deliberate action. Our fear of the Lord should be a productive
fear that stimulates awe and reverence for the almighty, loving God! Make sure
that your “knowledge” starts where it should, with a healthy fear of God.
- - - - Darrell Powell
Do not value the things that you have in your life, but value the
people you have in your life.
Don’t just own a Bible; read it!
(334-382-3001)