Tracts from the Past – Principles In Christian Conduct

Like last week, we are posting another tract by a preacher named Paul Simon (date unknown, location unknown).  Many times it helps us to consider topics in short “tract-sized” form.  Often, preachers get overly wordy in trying to explain something when fewer words will do.

Principles In Christian Conduct

By PAUL SIMON, Minister

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thes. 5:22).

God is not here commanding us to pray at every breath; to pray continuously, but is giving a principle: To pray always, in all things. We should continue to pray and never let the time come in our lives that we no longer pray to God, asking His blessings on us. Great men and women of history have been men and women who realized the need of prayer.

“Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluc­tance; it is laying hold of his highest willingness.” — Trench.

Abraham Lin­coln said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day.”

“I know no blessing so small as to be reasonably expected without prayer, nor any so great but may be attained by it.”—South.

“I think I should have been swept away by the flood of French infidelity, if it had not been for one thing: the remem­brance of times when my sainted mother used to make me kneel by her side, taking my little hands in hers, and caused me to repeat the Lord’s prayer.”—John Randolph.

Jeremy Taylor once said. “The body of our prayer is the sum of our duty; and as we must ask of God whatso­ever we need, so we must watch and labor for all that we ask. Whatsoever we beg of God, let us also work for it.”

Although Jean Inglelow, English author, realized the need of prayer, she also realized the folly of her prayers, when she said, “I have lived to thank God that not all my prayers have been answered.”

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures
” (Matthew 6:19)

Matt. 6:19-34, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light: But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If there­fore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other: or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mam­mon. Therefore, I say unto you. Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink: nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat and the body more than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns: yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you, by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you. That even Solomon, in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Where­fore. if God so clothed the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat, or What shall we drink, or Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

Jesus is not, here, commanding us to refuse to save against old age, sickness, or accident: neither is He saying that it is wrong to plan to wear a certain dress, or suit of clothes Sunday, or to eat beans and corn bread for dinner tomorrow—because nothing is done without planning ahead. Jesus is laying down a principle: Put first things first: give spiritual matters first place in your life. Those who fail to abide by this principle of putting God first cannot be happy; neither here, nor hereafter.

“The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said. This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, drink and be merry. But God said unto him. Thou fool! this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall these things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasures for himself and is not rich toward God.” — Luke 12:16-21. See, also, Luke 16:19-31.

An American Fable – Water Baptism

Due to the upcoming holidays and trying to get work done on some pressing projects, we didn’t get a Bible Q&A done for this week.  But we recently ran across something that we just had to share with you.  Once you read it, you will see why.

Have a great weekend!

An American Fable Relating to Water Baptism

(Originally appeared in Lard’s Quarterly, October 1866)

A missionary once presented a Bible to a young Indian, who possessed a fair knowledge of the English language, and exhorted him to read it, and obey its commandments. The book was received and read, as requested.

Some time afterward the Indian met the preacher, and said to him: “I want you to go with me to the river. I want to be baptized.”

“I can baptize you without going to the river,” said the preacher.

“Where?” inquired the red man.

“Here,” replied the preacher.

Said the Indian, in a tone of surprise: “I don’t see how you can baptize me here, where there is no water.”

“We can have water brought for the purpose,” responded the minister.

But the young man was perplexed; he could not understand how they were to baptize him after the water was brought. The minister then explained to him that they could baptize him “by pouring a little water on his forehead.”

“Is that baptism?”

“Yes,” said the minister.

Not yet quite satisfied, the young man again replied: “Well, if that is baptism, you have given me the wrong book.”

His idea seemed to be that each denomination had a Bible of its own, and that the minister had, through mistake, given him one that represented baptism by immersion. The impression that baptism is by immersion was made upon his mind by reading the Bible; but if pouring [or sprinkling] is baptism, it must be learned from some other book; that is, the same book can not teach both pouring and immersion to be baptism. Why not? Because there is such a difference between pouring and immersion that if one is taught to be baptism, the other cannot be.

W.W. Hayden.

The Modern Literal Version

The “Modern Literal Version 2015 Update” is officially out. So is its supplement “The New Koine Greek Textbook Vol. I & II”

PDF’s downloads and other information always at:
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The Herrin Massacre

Since being a small child, I have had a love of history. Though several years have elapsed since that time, the desire to learn about the past and better understand it has not diminished. I was raised in “Bloody Williamson,” in Southern Illinois, though by the time I came around, that nickname had faded from the memory of most.

The local history that I happened to catch while growing up mostly consisted of the mobster who had somehow–years after his death–become a “cool” anti-hero, Charlie Birger. And even at that, the details were limited to the fact that he was a gun-toting guy who fought against the KKK, and who was later hanged, uttering the final words, “It’s a beautiful world.”

The coal mines in southern Illinois, during my youth, still employed a large number of people—all of them union men. Perhaps this is why we never heard many details of the infamous “Herrin Massacre” that took place in 1922, even though it was front page news nationwide for several weeks in cities like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago.

I have no bias for or against unions. I have several friends who are union men, and I have even been a union man myself at one time. I have nothing against unions, so long as they keep their proper place and they work within the bounds of the law and of fairness. In 1922, the union men in Herrin, Illinois performed a series of acts which cannot be justified or defended by any rational standard of right and wrong.

Recently, I ran across an old brittle copy of a book called “The Herrin Conspiracy,” wherein the details of that horrible event–the Herrin Massacre–were clearly set forth.  The author of that short booklet is unknown, though the information contained is an accurate picture of the events which took place on that day in 1922 when Williamson County earned the name “Bloody Williamson.”

This story makes for an interesting comparison with the Lord’s church.  It shows what can happen when people insist on their “liberties” even in the face of those who have problems with it.  It shows what can happen when leaders ignore their responsibility.  It shows what can happen when people of one community think only of themselves and not at all caring about the welfare of others.

It is a story of conspiracy, of murder, and ultimately a travesty of justice.

This book was written less than six months after the events, and at that point in time, no one had been charged with the murders of around 20 men and the destruction of millions of dollars of equipment.

I have taken the liberty to edit this booklet and have added footnotes to it.  It is an interesting snapshot of the times, and several illustrations can be gleaned from it.

Download it here (FREE) and see what you think.

-Bradley Cobb

Tracts from the Past – Can a Person be Saved Outside of the church of Christ?

In going through my office (which needs a thorough cleaning anyway), I ran across a hand-full of old, short tracts written by a preacher named Paul Simon.  I honestly don’t know anything about him outside of the fact that he wrote these tracts.

Previous “Tracts from the Past” posts have been very well-received, so we decided to post these here as well.  If you happen to know some background on Mr. Simon, please add it in the comments section or send us a message via our contact page.

Can A Person Be Saved Outside Of The Church Of Christ?

By PAUL SIMON, Minister.

Let us forget about denominationalism, and ask, “Can one be saved outside of the church?”

Some cannot see beyond “de­nominational Christiani­ty.” Some cannot conceive of the non-denominational New Testament Church. A defini­tion of the church will help us to arrive at the correct answer to our question. The church is a spiritual institution, com­posed of every Christian in the world. To say that one can be saved outside of the church is to say, “One can be saved with­out becoming a Christian.”

Christ is the Savior of the church. “Wives, submit your­selves unto your husbands as unto the Lord: For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is head of the church, and he is the savior of the body” (Eph. 5:22). To say that one can be saved outside of the church is to say, “One can be saved without being saved.” “And the Lord added unto the church, daily, such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47).

Christ gave Himself for the church. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it” (Eph. 5:25; see also Acts 20:28; 2 Pet. 1:18). To say that one can be saved outside of the church is to say, “One can be saved without being purchased by the blood of Christ. Christ is no thief. He will receive unto Himself only that which He has purchased with His blood — the church.

The church is the bride of Christ. “Wherefore, my breth­ren, ye, also, are become dead to the law by the body of Christ: that ye should be mar­ried to another: even unto him that is raised from the dead, that ye should bring forth fruit unto God.” — (Rom. 7:4; see also 2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 21:9-11).

The church is the kingdom of Christ. “Upon this rock will I build my church; and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom” (Matt. 16:18; see also Col. 1:13-14). To say that one can be saved outside of the church is to say, “One can be saved outside of the kingdom of Christ— without permitting Christ to reign over him.”

The church is the house, or household of God. “The house of God, which is the church of the living God” (1 Tim. 3:15; see also Heb. 3:6; Isa. 2:2-3). To say that one can be saved outside of the church is to say, “One can be saved outside of the household of God.”

One cannot be saved without being born again (John 3:3, 5). One cannot be born again with­out being born into the family of God. To say that one can be saved outside of the church is to say, “One can be saved with­out being born again.”

One cannot be saved outside of Christ. “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made night by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13). To be in Christ is to be in His spiritual body. His spiritual body is the church – “the church, which is his body” (Eph. 1:22-23; see also Col. 1:18, 24). To say that one can be saved outside of the church is to say, “One can be saved outside of the spiritual body of Christ” (see Eph. 1.3, 7; 11 Tim. 2:10; 11 Cor. 5:17; Acts 4:12; John 15:1-8), and apart from His blood.

A responsible person cannot be saved without obeying from the heart the form of doctrine. “But God be thanked, that ye were the ser­vants of sin, but ye have obey­ed from the heart that form of doctrine which was deliv­ered unto you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18). “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). To say that a responsible per­son can be saved outside of the church is to say, ‘‘A respon­sible person can be saved with­out becoming a servant of God.”

A responsible person cannot be saved without eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Christ. “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (John 6:53). The supper of His flesh and blood is in His kingdom for His chil­dren. “That ye may eat and drink at my table in my king­dom” (Luke 22:30).

You cannot be saved outside of the family of God. “Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (Eph. 3: 15). To say that one can be saved outside of the church is to say that one can be saved out of the family of God, com­posed of His children.

The word, church, comes from a Greek word, ekklesia, which means the called out. “God hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 1:13). To say that a respon­sible person can be saved outside of the church is to say that a responsible person can be saved in the kingdom of dark­ness.

Can A Person be Saved Outside the Church?

In the light of God’s word, can one be saved outside of the church? Saved out of which church? Whose church? About whose body, bride, kingdom, family, household, ekklesia, and church have we been Studying? Can a responsible person be saved outside of the church of Christ? This ques­tion you must answer before God.

Bible Q&A – Was Cornelius a Proselyte?

Question: Was Cornelius a Proselyte? – Anonymous

It is asserted by some that Cornelius, because he feared, worshiped, and prayed to God—the God of Israel—that he must be a proselyte [a convert] to Judaism. Some make the claim that he was a partial proselyte, a “proselyte of the gate,” that kept the Jewish customs and feasts, but who had not been circumcised. But can either of these claims be proven?

First, there is nothing in the text of Acts 10-11 (the only places in which Cornelius is mentioned) to indicate that Cornelius was anything other than a Gentile. Even the passage that speaks of what kind of man he was—one that worshiped and served God—says nothing about Jews, Judaism, Israel, or the Law of Moses.

Second, in light of this, we should also note that there were others in the Bible who worshiped and served God, yet who were not attempting to follow the Law of Moses. Abel, Seth, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Melchizedek, and others were all people who worshiped and served God without ever knowing anything about the Law of Moses and Judaism. These men were all Gentiles—non-Jews, and worshiped God under what we’ve come to describe as the Patriarchal law. This law was exclusive to the Gentiles, and was never rescinded until the gospel began to be taken to the Gentiles in the book of Acts.

Third, had Cornelius been a “proselyte of the gate,” such a fact would have been ammunition for the Judaizing teachers who demanded obedience to the Law of Moses prior to becoming a Christian. It would have been brought up by those who were trying to keep the Gentiles from entering the church as Gentiles. But this concept—that Cornelius was somehow a Jew in actions, though not in circumcision—is foreign to all the biblical evidence.

Fourth, If Cornelius was a proselyte, then the Bible is a lie. The conversion of Cornelius and his family is the record of the first Gentile converts. This fact is made clear throughout chapters ten, eleven, and even in chapter fifteen (see 15:7). Yet, in Acts 6, we read of a well-regarded Christian named Nicholas, and one of the few things we know about him is that he was a proselyte—that is, a Gentile who converted to Judaism. Therefore, if Cornelius was a proselyte one of the following must be true:

  • Peter, the apostles, and the inspired author of Acts were all mistaken in saying that Cornelius and his family were the first Gentile converts—Nicholas pre-dates him.
  • Peter, the apostles, and the inspired author of Acts were all mistaken in saying that Cornelius and his family were the first Gentile converts—they were proselytes, and therefore no longer classed as Gentiles.

These are the only two options if Cornelius was a proselyte. The true option is this:

Cornelius and his family were Gentiles—not proselytes to Judaism in any way, shape, or form. This matches perfectly with what is said about them in Acts. This matches perfectly with the attitude of the Jews in going into his house. This matches perfectly with the attitude of the other Jews who heard about it. This harmonizes perfectly with the fact that a proselyte named Nicholas was already a Christian—he wasn’t counted as a Gentile anymore.

Was Cornelius a proselyte? No. He was a Gentile—the first Gentile to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

-Bradley S. Cobb

When You Gotta Go – Start Early

My friend is a rather old-fashioned lady, always quite delicate and elegant, especially in her language.  She and her husband were planning a week’s vacation in Florida, so she wrote to a particular campground and asked for a reservation.

She wanted to make sure the campground was fully equipped, but didn’t know how to gracefully ask about toilet facilities.  She just couldn’t bring herself to write the word “toilet” in her letter.  After much deliberation, she finally came up with the old-fashioned term, “bathroom commode.”  But when she wrote it down, she still thought she was being too forward.  So, she started all over again, rewrote the entire letter, and referred to the bathroom commode merely as the “B.C.”

“Does the campground have its own B.C.?” is actually what she wrote.

Well, the campground owner wasn’t old-fashioned at all, and when he got the letter, he just couldn’t figure out what the woman was talking about.  That “B.C.” business just stumped him.  After worrying about it for a while, he showed the letter to several campers, but they couldn’t imagine what the lady meant either.  So, the campground owner, finally coming to the conclusion that the lady must be asking about the location of the local Baptist Church, sat down and wrote the following reply:

Dear Madam:

I regret very much this delay in answering your letter, but I now take the pleasure of informing you that a B.C. is located 9 miles north of the campground, and is capable of seating 250 people at one time.  I admit it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly, but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunches along and make a day of it.

They usually arrive early and stay late.  The last time my wife and I went was 6 years ago, and it was so crowded that we had to stand up the whole time we were there.  It may interest you to know now, there is a supper planned to raise money to buy more seats.  They’re going to hold it in the basement of the B.C.

I would like to say it pains me very much not to be able to go more regularly, but it surely is no lack of desire on my part.  As we grow older, it seems to be more of an effort, particularly in cold weather.

If you decide to come down to our campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time you go, and introduce you to all the other folks.  Remember, this is a friendly community.

———————————

I have no idea who originally wrote the above story, but I’ve posted it here for two reasons:

1. It’s hilarious.  If you didn’t laugh out loud, then you have either (1) read this before or (2) didn’t read it.  🙂

2. it serves as a great illustration of how some people use the same terms to mean different things.  If we want to properly communicate with others, we need to make sure that we make our meanings clear with the words we choose.

-Brad

 

There’s a Great Day Coming

It’s real. It’s big. It’s coming. And there’s nothing you can do to stop it!  Some will welcome it with open arms, screaming salvation! Others will try in vain to escape it, crying for mercy. But it is still going to come.

What is it, you might ask?

It’s the judgment.

It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this, judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

Regardless of whether someone died two thousand years ago, or if it’s someone who won’t die until two thousand years from now, every person will have to stand and be judged after their death.  For some people, it will be a wonderful day. For others, it will be a day of horrible sadness.

We’re all familiar with the song, “There’s a Great Day Coming” and it conveys these ideas well.  So, let’s take a few moments to look at how people will view this judgment when it comes.

Verse 1 – It will be a great day.

The word “great” has suffered a lot of misuse, to the point where its meaning has almost been forgotten.  Most people in the United States use the word “great” as though it means “better than good.” But that’s not the meaning of the word. It actually means something large, noteworthy, or powerful.

In the first Harry Potter movie, the wand-seller Olivander speaks of the evil wizard Voldemort, and says “he did great things, yes. Terrible. But great.”

Acts 2:20 speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem as “that great and notable [or terrible] day of the Lord.”  The people in Jerusalem sure didn’t think that this meant it was a “better than good” day.

There’s a great day coming, a great day coming, there’s a great day coming by and by.

This is a large, important, noteworthy, powerful day here. It’s the day that everyone will see. It’s the day that each one will meet Jesus—the righteous Judge (II Timothy 4:8). It’s the day that each person will hear the words “guilty” or “not guilty.”

It’s also a day of separation. Up to this point, the righteous and the wicked have lived side-by-side, but on that day, there will be a separation. The righteous will go into life eternal, and the wicked shall be sent into the fires of hell for eternity (Matthew 25:31-46).

Truly, this is a great day.

There’s a great day coming, a great day coming. There’s a great day coming by and by; when the saints and the sinners shall be parted right and left.

Verse 2 – For some it will be a bright happy day.

In my office is a very large dictionary published in 1964. My grandfather would go to the grocery store each week and buy this dictionary in sections. After purchasing all sixteen sections, he was given the cover that goes with it. It was part of my inheritance when he died. In it, under the word “bright” is this definition: “Characterized by cheerfulness and gaiety, pleasant, lively.” Another definition is “giving promise of prosperity or happiness, favorable.” And of course, there’s also this one: “Illustrious, glorious.”

These are the ideas, the meanings of the word “bright” that we need to keep in mind.

There’s a bright day coming, a bright day coming, there’s a bright day coming by and by.

This judgment day is a day of happiness and cheerfulness. It is a day that promises eternal prosperity and happiness. It is a glorious day to be sure!

The apostle Paul looked forward to this judgment day. “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (II Timothy 4:7-8).

It is a day where we will be with the Lord, which is far better (Philippians 1:23).

It is a day where we will be reunited forever with loved ones who died in the Lord (I Thessalonians 4:17-18).

But that promise is only to those who are faithful (Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life—Revelation 2:10).

God doesn’t hold a spiritual lottery. He doesn’t reward people who don’t show true love for Him with obedience. You won’t accidentally make it into heaven when you’re judged.

There’s a bright day coming, a bright day coming, there’s a bright day coming by and by. But its brightness shall only come to them that love the Lord.

Verse 3 – for others, it will be a horrible day.

For the people who have not given themselves to God; for the ones who haven’t submitted to the commands of Jesus Christ; for the ones who have intentionally sinned; for the ones who have not remained faithful to the Lord, this judgment day will be one of sadness and misery.

There will be sadness for wasted opportunities to obey the gospel.

There will be sadness for time spent in sin.

There will be sadness for rejected pleas to come back to God.

There will be sadness because they know what the judgment is going to be.

There’s a sad day coming, a sad day coming, there’s a sad day coming by and by.

“Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt 25:30).

“You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?” (Matt 23:33).

“Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:15).

“Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his messengers” (Matthew 25:41).

“Many will say unto me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many marvelous works?’ And then will I profess unto them, ‘I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity’” (Matthew 7:22-23).

There’s a sad day coming, a sad day coming, there’s a sad day coming by and by, when the sinner shall hear his doom, “Depart, I know ye not.”

Are You Ready?

The day is coming. Make no mistake about it. “It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this, judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

The question for you is this: what kind of day will it be for you? Are you prepared?

Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready for the judgment day? Are you ready? Are you ready for the judgment day?

Please, make yourself ready starting right now.

-Bradley Cobb

What About the Rich?

Christians and riches–can the two coexist?  Can a Christian be rich?  These questions can bring all kinds of responses.

Some people try to bind poverty as the only way a true Christian can live. Others claim that the only way to show you’re a faithful Christian is if God’s making you rich!

What is the truth?

In I Timothy 6, Paul shoots some advice to a young preacher–some advice on how to deal with the topic of riches.  This apostle told his son in the faith that there were some who did not consent to the “words of our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Timothy 6:3). One of the ways they did not agree to Christ’s teachings was that some “supposed that gain is godliness” (6:5). There were some people back in the first century who believed that getting rich was a sign that God was pleased with them. The same philosophy exists in many religious organizations today, and is referred to as the “prosperity gospel” or the “health and wealth gospel.”

Is this a valid view of riches? Paul sure did not think so!

The Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul, tells Timothy to avoid those people. He says this in no uncertain terms: “from such withdraw thyself” (6:5). He’s telling Timothy, as well as us today, that we’re to stand separate from such people, because they’re in error, not agreeing to the words of Christ.

Paul said that true gain (riches) comes from being godly and being content with what we have (6:6). We weren’t born with money in hand, and when we die, we can’t take it with us. Because of this, we should be content with the food and clothing that we have.

Are you content with the things you own?

But what of those who seek to be rich? Should the Christian seek after earthly treasure?

Jesus spoke of such things many times, all of which are well stated in the words “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [material needs] will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). The one who wants to follow Christ won’t put his focus on gaining money and riches, but on gaining heaven. The ones whose desire is for money are in trouble–“they fall into a temptation and a snare” (I Timothy 6:9). Immediately afterwards, God says “the love of money is the root of all evil” (6:10). Those who covet after money have “erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Being rich is not a sign of God’s approval, but neither is it a sign of his disapproval. The Bible shows what happens to those who put their focus on material wealth instead of spiritual wealth, but does that mean it is wrong to have money?

No it does not.

What this does mean is that the rich are to “not be high-minded, nor put their trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy” (I Timothy 6:17). The rich are to “do good” and “be rich in good works, ready to distribute” to needs that arise (6:18). This is to be done so that they may “lay hold on eternal life” (6:19).

Jesus commands that those who follow Him must lay up “treasures in heaven” and not “treasures upon earth” (Matthew 6:19-20). This is talking about priorities. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). If seeking money is your goal, your heart will be on earthly things. If you are seeking primarily after God, all of your physical needs will be supplied (Matthew 6:33).

What better life could there be than knowing that all of your needs will be taken care of here on earth, plus knowing that after death, you will have a home in heaven? It’s not wrong to have money, but when that becomes the priority in your life over following God, your soul is in jeopardy. Where are you seeking treasure?

-Bradley Cobb

The Holy Spirit, Revelation, Restoration, Infant Baptism, and …

There’s a lot to be thankful for–and that’s true all the time!  We’re thankful for you, and the fact that you take the time to read what we’ve posted here.

And now, we’d like to let you know about some things that we’ve been keeping secret!

The Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts

We are over half-way finished writing this book.  It’s been a very rewarding and eye-opening study.  Every passage in the book of Acts that mentions or alludes to the Holy Spirit is examined to see what we can learn about the third person of the Godhead, and how He works.

When keeping all these verses in context, it becomes apparent that several verses have been pulled out of context and used to teach something that they were never intended to teach–even by some of our own good, sound brethren.

Things Which Came to Pass: A Study of Revelation

Over a year ago, well over a thousand hours of work was poured into writing and preaching forty-eight sermons covering the entire book of Revelation.  We are currently in the process of taking those sermon outlines and converting them into a readable book/commentary/study guide so that you can benefit from the study and see what the final book of the Bible meant to the original readers–and what it means to us today.

When preaching these sermons, we also had handouts for the congregation which acted as worksheets to help them see the main points of each section of Revelation.  These handouts (222 pages’ worth) have been collected into a single workbook, and is available here for just $6.99 $5.99 until Christmas!  These workbooks are priced cheap so that any congregations wishing to use them can easily afford to get one for each student.  We know of at least three congregations already who are planning on using this material in the next year.

The David King Collection

You might be asking yourself, “Who is David King?”  But if you were a Christian from England, you’d probably already know the answer to that question.  Many people don’t realize it, but Alexander Campbell worked with David King in a trans-continental way.  In the United States, Campbell was publishing the Millennial Harbinger, while David King was in England publishing the British Millennial Harbinger.

King was a preacher, editor, writer, and debater, yet many Americans haven’t ever been blessed to read his works.  We’re hoping to start the process of remedying that.  We’re just about finished with the final touches of the David King Collection (perhaps the first of multiple volumes, if people want more).  This first collection includes the following:

  • The Primitive Church, the Apostasy, and the Restoration
  • Why Baptize the Little Ones?
  • The History and Mystery of the Christadelphians
  • The Resurrection of Saints and Sinners at the Coming of the Lord

If you’re interested in reading some of these online, we’ve made them available for free at GravelHillchurchofChrist.com.  But for those of you who–like me–would rather hold a real book in your hand, we’re making this available very shortly in paperback!

Scripture Studies, Volumes 1 and 2

Back in 1931 and 1941, Gospel Advocate published two volumes of Scripture Studies, written by S.H. Hall.  These books contained twenty-four lessons each, designed to ground members in the basic truths about the Bible, Jesus, salvation, the church, and fellowship.

These valuable resources have been hard to find for several years, but are now finally back in print–complete with the Cobb Publishing quality you’ve come to know and appreciate.  We’ve made the text easier to read, corrected any mistakes we ran across, and put it all together in one convenient package!

It is a great collection for teaching a Bible class, and your students would benefit from having their own copy of these two classic books in one 362-page collection!  Learn more about it here!

Or, you can read through them at the Gravel Hill website (mentioned above).

So You’re Thinking About Elders

At the request of the elders here, a series of lessons were presented on elders, their responsibilities, their authority, and the qualifications of elders.  It actually ended up covering sixteen weeks, and was very well-received.  We are collecting these sermons and making it into a Bible class book which should be available, Lord willing, by early 2015.

There’s more to come, because this list doesn’t even contain half of the projects currently underway.  But it’s  sampling of some things you can look forward to in the coming months!

Thanks again for reading!