Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: April 22, 2007
PREPARING FOR OUR GOSPEL MEETING
Lord willing, beginning this time next week, our Gospel Meeting with Brother Dave
Watson will be underway. Brother Watson is a great communicator and expositor
of the Word of God. We all look forward to his arrival and listening to him preach
God’s truth. We are hopeful and prayerful that much good will come from our
efforts. In order for this meeting to be successful, some things must be in place:
1.) Faithfully attend all the services. There is nothing more revealing about the
lack of spirituality and faith of church members when they never attend gospel
meetings. Every gospel meeting should be looked forward to. Ever since the close
of our last meeting, I have been looking forward to this one.
2.) Be ready to carefully listen to what will be preached. I am confident Brother
Watson will do his job in preaching. But, we have the responsibility to be ready to
listen attentively.
3.) Invite others to be present. Granted, most people whom we invite will not
come, but this should not stop us from inviting them. I know this: People will
never come unless we first invite them.
Let us get serious about our meeting. There are still many flyers on the back table
to be passed out. I am confident Brother Watson will do his part. The question is,
“Will you do your part?”
“ABSTAIN FROM ALL APPEARANCE OF EVIL”
Don Blackwell
[PREFACE TO THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: Brother Don Blackwell wrote the
following article. It is a good to the point article. We appreciate Don’s willingness
and desire to write. He is a great example to all of us, and we are thankful that he
has been attending with us. I am proud to include his article in our bulletin —
Ben.]
In I Thess. 5:22 we read, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” To abstain means “to
forsake, to avoid or shun voluntarily” (The New International Webster Pocket
Dictionary). We must abstain from evil if we are to be pleasing to God! We can’t
be partakers with how the world acts (see also Rom. 12:1-2).
Also, we are to “abhor that which is evil” (Rom. 12:9). The word “abhor” means “to
loath, to look upon with repugnance” (Ibid.). We must be careful about what kinds
of music we listen to, the kinds of TV shows we watch, etc.
In the Old Testament, the people were told “to depart from evil” (see Psalm 34:14;
Pro. 3:7). When we become Christians, we can no longer do the same things we did
before we became Christians. I John 2:15-17 says, “Love not the world, neither the
things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in
him. (16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (17) And the world passeth
away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” We are to
love God and serve God to the best of our ability, always being guided by his Word!
We are to “overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21).
Finally, we are told that “the love of money is the root of all evil” (I Tim. 6:10). It is
important to work but we must “seek first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness” (Matt. 6:33). We must abstain from and abhor that which is evil.
We must serve God!
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“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity
with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James
4:4).