THE
SPIRIT’S
SWORD 

Volume VII, Number 07
June 22, 2003

Published by

Mt. Baker
church of Christ
Bellingham, WA
(1860 Mt. Baker HWY)
(360) 752-2692

Sunday:
Bible Classes..........9:30 AM
Worship............10:30 & 6:00
Wednesday:
Bible Classes...........7:00 PM

Web sites:
www.bibleanswer.com/mtbaker
www.bibleanswer.com

Editor................Joe R. Price

"And take...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17)

In this issue:

• The Church is Sufficient
• Flesh and Spirit  (Larry Ray Hafley)
• What God Has Given Us To Keep Us Saved  (Dee Lancaster)
• Sermon Outlines:
  • Faithful Gospel Preaching (2 Tim. 4:1-5)
  • Are There Few Saved? (Luke 13:22-30)
• Noteworthy News:  Paganism Revived

The Church is Sufficient

“THE CHURCH AS GOD DESIGNED IT IS SUFFICIENT TO DO ALL THAT GOD ASSIGNED IT.”

What Is Not Assigned:

1.  Politics – Col. 1:13; Jn. 18:36.

2.  civil Rights – 1 Pet. 4:11; 2 Jn. 9

3.  Social gospel – Col. 3:17; 2 Tim. 3:16-17.

What Is Assigned:

1.  Uphold truth – 1 Tim. 3:14-15; Col. 1:23; 2 Cor. 11:8; Phil. 4:15-16; 1 Cor. 9:1-14.

2.  Edify Itself – Eph. 4:16; Col. 2:19; Ac. 20:28; Heb. 10:24-25; Ac. 2:14-22; 1 Cor. 14:26.

3.  Limited Benevolence – Ac. 2:44-45; 4:33-35; 6:1-6; 11:27-30; Rom. 15:25-26; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; 2 Cor. 8; 2 Cor. 9; 1 Tim. 5:16

-Caprock Church Bulletin (28Oct92)

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Flesh and Spirit
Larry Ray Hafley

Those who believe in the impossibility of apostasy argue that sins of the flesh, the outer man, do not affect the condition of the soul, the inner man.  Hence, the inner, spiritual man, the soul, cannot be lost because of the deeds or sins performed by the flesh.  A number of passages knock this idea in the creek (Matt. 15:18, 19; 2 Cor. 7:1; Col. 3:5, 6; Eph. 5:3-6; Rom. 8:12, 13; Gal. 5:19-21; 6:7-8).

However, two are especially simple, useful and easy to be understood.  “Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (1 Pet. 2:11).  Sins of the flesh do affect the soul.  They “war against the soul.”  Further, in 2 Corinthians 5:10, the Spirit saith, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that which he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”  Could language be plainer?  How, then, can Calvinists argue that sins of the flesh do not jeopardize the destiny of the soul?

PAUSE-PONDER-PROFIT

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What God Has Given Us To Keep Us Saved Jude 24, 25
Dee Lancaster

· The Sinless Example of Jesus, I Pet. 1:21, 22

· The Resurrection of Christ, Rom. 4:25

· The Word of God, Jas. 1:21

· The Blood of Christ, I John 1:7

· A Plan of Pardon, Acts 8:22

· The Church of Christ, Eph. 5:25-27

· Forbearance in Judgment, II Peter 3:14,15

God wants us all to be saved and He is doing everything necessary to see that we are saved.

The question is:  are you taking advantage of all that God has given to be saved?  To keep you saved?

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1.  Gospel preaching is serious, sobering & soul saving – 1 Tim. 4:16; 2 Tim. 4:1.
2.  2 Tim. 4:1-5 – Faithful preaching is distinctive in message, in its moment & in its manner.

I.  THE MESSAGE – 2 Tim. 4:2.

  A.  Preach the Word – 4:2; 1 Tim. 4:6; 6:3-5; 2 Tim. 1:13, Tit. 2:1.
  B.  Do Not Preach:
    1.  Any other doctrine, 1 Tim. 1:3, 10-11 (Gal. 1:6-7)
    2.  Human wisdom – 1 Cor. 2:1-5 (Col. 2:8).
    3.  Fiction, fables, speculations – 1 Tim. 1:4; 4:7.

II.  THE MOMENT – 2 Tim. 4:2.

  A.  With Readiness – 4:2 (at a moment’s notice) – cf. 4:5 (watchful); 1 Tim. 1:3-4.
  B.  Some Traits of Readiness.
    1.  Boldness – 2 Tim. 1:7; Ezek. 2:6-7; 2 Cor. 1:17-20; Matt. 15:1-3; Rom. 16:17; Phil. 3:17.
    2.  Fervor – 2 Tim. 4:5; 1 Tim. 4:16; 2 Cor. 5:11.
    3.  Clarity – 1 Cor. 14:9 (Ezek. 2:5).

III.  THE MANNER – 2 Tim. 4:2.

  A.  In Season and Out of Season – 4:2; Acts 20:20; Phil. 3:1 (2 Pet. 1:12).
  B.  Elements: Reprove, Rebuke, Exhort – 4:2.
  C.  With All Longsuffering & Teaching (doctrine) – 2 Tim. 2:23-26.

IV.  THE REACTION – 2 Tim. 4:3-4.

  A.  Many will not Endure Sound Doctrine – 4:3; Isa. 30:9-11; 1 Kgs. 18:17; 22:8; 1 Tim. 1:6-7. 
  B.  Many will Follow Personal Agendas – 4:3; Ezek. 33:30-32 (Ahab, 1 Kgs. 22:6).
  C.  Many will Turn Away from the Truth to Fables – 4:4; Titus 1:14 (1 Tim. 1:3-4).
  D.  Faithful Preacher:  Do Not Be Discouraged!  4:5 (Fulfill your gospel service.)

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1.  Gallup poll, Nov. ’90:  78% Americans believed  in heaven & believed they were going there.  60% believed in hell, only 4% believed they were going.
2.  Will most people go to heaven?

I. THE BIBLE SAYS ONLY FEW WILL BE SAVED.
  A.  If Majority is Saved it Will Reverse the Constant, Consistent Spiritual Condition of Man on the Earth – Rom. 3:9-19, 23 (Gen. 6:5-8; Isa. 10:21-22; 11:10-11, 16; Rom. 11:5). 
  B.  Jesus Christ Taught that Few will be Saved – Mk. 4:14-20; Lk. 13:23-24; Matt. 22:14; Lk. 14:25-35.

II.  WHY ONLY FEW WILL BE SAVED.
  A.  Not Because God Wants Most People to be Lost – 1 Tim. 2:3-4; Jno. 3:16; Rom. 5:8; 2 Pet. 3:9; Ezek. 18:32; Matt. 11:28.
  B.  The “Gates & Roads” Illustration – Matt. 7:13-14 (1 Pet. 4:17-18); Eph. 4:4-6; Jno. 17:17.
  C.  We Must Seek for the Narrow Way – 7:14.
    1.  Some are not looking for it.
    2.  Others are looking in the wrong places.
    3.  Some aren’t looking for it because they believe they are already on it - Acts 26:9.
    4.  Some find the way, but decide it is too narrow for them – Lk. 14:15-20, 26-27; 18:18-23.

III.  WHO ARE THE ONES WHO WILL BE SAVED?
  A.  If Based on Merit, Nobody Saved (Rom. 3:23; 2 Tim. 1:9; Eph. 2:8-9).
  B.  Who then can be Saved?  (Matt. 19:25)  Acts 2:21 (Joel 2:32); Rom. 10:13; Acts 2:36-38; 22:16; Matt. 7:21; Eph. 2:8-9 (Heb. 5:9); Lk. 17:10.

Conclusion. Acts 10:34-35, Fear & obey God.

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NOTEWORTHY NEWS
(Current events in the light of Scripture)

        The latest Harry Potter novel was released this weekend.  We can expect another dose of witchcraft and sorcery promotion so prominent in this series of books.  Do not be too quick to brush aside as nonsense the correlation between Harry Potter and the resurgence of Pagan activities in the world.  Its release date is no accident.  Saturday, June 21 is the summer solstice, the most festive and celebrated day in Paganism.

        News reports out of England this week signaled the growing acceptance of Paganism there:

     LONDON (Reuters) - Paganism and the ancient art of witchcraft are on the rise in Britain, experts said on Thursday as the summer’s most celebrated Pagan festival approached.

Television, the Internet, environmentalism and even feminism have all played a role in the resurgence, they say.

     Soaring Pagan numbers have churches worrying and calling for stricter controls on cult TV programs and films that celebrate sorcery like “Harry Potter,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.”

     Record attendance is expected at dawn on Saturday morning at the mystical megaliths of Stonehenge, where Pagans have celebrated the summer solstice for thousands of years.

The trend has worried some of the Protestant church’s more traditional elements.

     “The rise of interest in Paganism is damaging because it normalizes spiritual evil by presenting it as mere fantasy and fiction,” said Reverend Joel Edwards of the Evangelical Alliance, a grouping of some one million UK Christians.”  (Sabrina, Harry and the Web Help UK Paganism Grow, Reuters, 19June03)

        Pagans worship nature (Mother Earth, etc.), and many believe they can harness nature’s power through magical arts, invocations and incantations.  Paganism is more than the delusions of eccentric people; it is the sinful denial of God in both concept and conduct.  “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things… who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever” (Rom. 1:22-25).

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The Spirit's Sword is a free, weekly publication of the Mt. Baker church of Christ, Bellingham, WA
Send all questions, comments and subscriptions to the editor at: ssword@bibleanswer.com