07-18-10

It's Time To Celebrate
Rick Woodall

The word "celebrate" occurs 53 times in 50 verses in the pages of the Bible. In some translations the phrase is to "make merry".

We live in times that are filled with heart wrenching disappointments. It's a dangerous world filled with hatred and appalling conditions. To make it even worse, all this depressing information can be pipe-lined to the very front of our eyes minutes after something dreadful has occurred. With all this unenthusiastic data one can come to the point where there is no eagerness to celebrate.

Even when It comes to the Church, correspondent's want us to believe they are bringing us up to date. They fill their pages with reports, facts and figures that are gathered by the intellectual name bearing figures that too many times get more respect and honor than Jesus himself. Many of these people don't give us much of a reason to celebrate. They are too busy promoting their cause rather than teaching us the good things that can change our lives and give us a bona fide motivation to be happy. The Apostle Paul gives us these wise words. "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" - Phil 4:4
Paul's approach to fellow Christians never left the impression that he was extraordinary or deserved top billing. He was concerned more with soul saving than having sole status. Through His hard work and teaching the church in his day had reason to celebrate even in challenging times. As we look at the church in our era, many of us are concerned about the educators and teachers that continually coach a personal plan instead of what God wants. If we do not take to their agenda here are the results: Out of one corner of their mouth they teach unity and out the other they toss us away.

"Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." Romans 12:4-5

Don't let the joy robbers take away the reason to celebrate. They do not add you to the body. For that reason and many others we can celebrate Jesus.

Truth Vs. Tolerance
Cecil May Jr.

The primary virtue of the postmodern age is tolerance, but with a new definition. Tolerance no longer means allowing legal religious freedom for all, treating people of different religions with respect and gentleness, and opposing persecution or discrimination.

The "modern" definition of tolerance in this "postmodern" age means considering all views equally valid. We must not only accept and be nice to those with different views, we must refrain from any attempt, however gently or reasonably (a 'bad word' to postmoderns), to change their mind. Any suggestion that one view is better than another or, especially that one is true and the other is false, is "intolerant."

Influenced by this prevailing attitude, many modern evangelicals in television interviews equivocate when asked whether Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. Jesus, of course, said he was. Some of "us" equivocate when asked whether baptism is necessary to salvation.

Presenting a positive image has become more important to some than biblical truth.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN said: "You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help small men by tearing down big men. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot lift the wage earner by tearing down the wage payer. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do."