The Champions Spirit
Volume 69, Issue 2
Jan. 17, 2010
In This Issue
“When ‘Good enough’...isn’t”
It’s been a while since I had heard it, but the other day someone said of a project “Well, it’s good enough for government work.” That’s an interesting saying. I understand that it began in the factories during World War II and that it meant the product passed the most rigorous of tests. Since that time, the saying has come full circle referring to slipshod and work that might not be quite right.
“Good enough” is an attitude that seems to permeate many areas of society today—even religion. The concept applied to spiritual things seems to be that it doesn’t really matter that we do things exactly as we find in the Scripture...just as long as we have a good attitude about it.
In our reading this week, we found “just as the Lord had commanded” 18 times in Exodus—15 of them in the two chapters discussing the work on the tabernacle. Look at it again. Why should the makers of the tabernacle and priestly garments have been so precise that their work is praised as having been accomplished “just as the Lord commanded”? Why alternate pomegranates and bells around the hem of the robe of the high priest? Why not have two bells and then a pomegranate? Was it really such a big deal? Why make garments out of blue and purple and scarlet...Wouldn’t a bit of green or yellow have looked good?
The list of our questions could go on and on, but the truth of the matter is that “good enough” isn’t. God commanded—the people obeyed exactly.
In our reading next week we will read of a couple of priests who used fire for the altar of incense from a different source than that which God commanded. Good enough? After all, fire is fire, right? God evidently didn’t think so, and Nadab and Abihu paid the consequences as fire from heaven came down and burned them up.
Today society’s emphasis is on the claim that there is no absolute truth, right or wrong, black or white, but on the “grey” and so there is a lot of rationalizing in all areas, including religious matters. We hear, “It’s ok...God’s a loving God...just serve Him in the way you want. He’ll accept you.
Is that so? How do we know which statements and examples from the Word of God tell us just the opposite! Remember the lesson we learn from Exodus. They obeyed “just as the Lord had commanded.” Good for them. We want to have the same mindset. Good for us. We learn from such Old Testament examples that “Good enough...isn’t!”
—Larry Keele
FAMILY MATTERS...
Welcome to the services of the church of Christ in Champions! We are grateful to our God for giving us the privilege to assemble today and for the blessing of each of our guests. May He bless our time together!
We rejoice at the baptism of Buina Collins last Sunday. Her husband, Dennis, is also placing his membership with us. The Collins family is completed by 3-year-old Kaylee. We welcome them. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Josh Freeman as he continues to work through some tough life situations. We can be thankful for a God whose strong arm protects and gives us strength.
Remember February 6th and 7th as an opportunity to grow in your faith! Eric Lyons will present a seminar on the Reliability of the Bible. We will begin with on Saturday and end Sunday afternoon. This will be a great series of lessons. Don’t miss them!
One of the great benefits of our Look at the Book program is that the collective reading of the same portion of the Bible by so many of our members naturally generates discussions and questions in various other settings. All of these things cause us to study, think, and grow! Let’s keep it up! Tomorrow begin your reading of Leviticus.
Parting Thought: One of the hardest lessons in life to learn is which bridge to cross and which to burn.
HAVE A BLESSED WEEK!
Jeremy’s Junction
I have been reading Exodus this week like many of the rest of you. This is one of my favorite little used stories in Exodus.
8The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands." 10So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
The reason I liked this so much is it reminds me of how we should treat people like Larry. Larry is the pulpit preacher here and his duties go way beyond just preaching. In addition to his hard work giving us wonderful lessons that we can take and apply to our daily lives, he is a counselor for our congregation. He goes and helps people in any way he can. People like Larry are dedicated workers who give a lot of themselves to help this congregation in any way possible. The passage above shows Moses, who is trying to keep his arm lifted so that the Israelites can win their war against the Amalekites. However, even Moses needs help keeping his arm raised.
We should always seek to encourage the encouragers. Sometimes ministers’ “arms” can get tired and when this happens it is hard for them to be strong encouragers to their congregation. A congregation with less encouragement is one that can start loosing the war such as Joshua and his forces did.
Encourage Larry for the wonderful job he has been doing. Anyone who has been working hard for the congregation including ministers, cecretaries, elders, deacons, or just nice sweet ladies who are always lending a hand, needs encouragement and admonition. Let’s work together to keep their “arms” in the air and help them help us. Congregations with much encouragement are congregations that are strong in the word and abilities to help more and more find God’s love. Let’s Encourage the Encouragers!
—Jeremy Geurin
John’s Jogs
THE BIBLE
A couple weeks ago David Morgan re-introduced us to the old song “The B-I-B-L-E that’s the book for me.” Then I ran into this appropriate article for us in our series of Look at the Book. Yes, the Bible is the book for me. The Bible is a book for all ages. Consider these following principles about the Bible:
B-is for Basis. The Bible is the basis of our relationship with God. In it is the basis for law, both civil and moral.
I-is for Inspired. The Bible is inspired by God. It has survived all these many years and has had such a wonderful impact on the world because it is the very Word of God itself. The word “inspired” comes from a Greek word meaning “God Breathed.” When we read the Bible. We are reading the inspired Words of God as if He had spoken them Himself. “All scripture is given by the inspiration of God…” (2 Timothy 3:16).
B-is for Battle. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). In this battle, which all of God’s people fight, God’s Word, the Bible is our “Sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:17) which allows us to “stand against the wiles of the evil” (Eph. 6:11) and “to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Eph. 6:16).
L-is for Love. The Bible shows the love of God to a world of sinners (John.3:16, Rom. 5:8 etc.). The Bible also teaches us how to show our love for the Father (John 14:15). While the Bible is much more than a love letter, it does indeed exalt the love of God.
E-is for Everlasting. “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower thereof falls away. But the Word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” I Peter 1:24-25). The Word of God will follow us all into the judgment (John 12:48); it is everlasting.
May we all choose the Bible as the book for us and our families.
~Borrowed
—John Qualls