M A N A S S A S e M E S S E N G E R 1/01/2003 Vol. 3 No. 1 ........................... People see your deeds. God sees your motives. ........................... We are back just in time to welcome in a new year. Due to serious computer problems, we were prevented from publishing the eMessenger. We apologize for the delay. -- the Editors .......................... Why! : "I have never understood why anyone would roast the turkey and shuck the clams and crisp the croutons and shell the peas and candy the sweets and compote the cranberries and bake the pies and clear the table and wash the dishes and fall into bed exhausted when they could just as easily sit back and enjoy a hamburger or a pork sandwich." (signed) The Turkey ================== IN THIS ISSUE 1. Test Your Bible Skills 2. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall! 3. What Is Truth? 4. **THE FUNNIES** 5. About the Manassas eMessenger ==================== 1. Test Your Bible Skills ==================== Hymnology Quiz [1] What words of Christ to Peter inspired the title of the hymn, "The Church's One Foundation"? [2] What familiar verse from the Psalms inspired the writing of this hymn, "He Leadeth Me"? [3] What hymn was inspired by these words of Christ to his disciples: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."? John 15:3 [4] Does the title of the hymn, "The Rock That Is Higher Than I" have a scriptural basis? [5] Was the song, "Does Jesus Care?" inspired by a verse of scripture? (Answers at the End) ======================= 2. Mirror, mirror on the wall! ======================= Diothrephes is not well known in religious circles although there is enough data in the holy scripture for one to draw certain conclusions about him. He did not acknowledge the apostolic authority, certainly not the apostle John and others with him (3 John 9:10). He is remembered clearly for casting members out of the congregation for personal and political reasons but not for error, else John would have joined him in refutation of error. Diothrephes, a Gentile evidently recognized as occupying a lofty status, was malicious in words against faithful brethren, influencing the church to comply with his fraudulently concocted demands, which he used as a smokescreen to create faction. This Christian once tasted the goodness of Christ but left the faith to make himself a self-serving backbiting dictator. He quit standing for the truth, hating good works of righteousness and those who practiced them. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the greatest of them all?" In his mirror, Diotrephes never saw in himself any selfish esteem. We know it does not require much to offend some people who are victims of undue pestilent sins: selfish pride, ambitions, and covetousness. This same temper and ambition was in the mother of two disciples of Christ who asked Jesus to recognize their selfish aspirations when Jesus was come into the kingdom (Matthew 20:20, 21); but Jesus explained that exaltation is the fruition of wholehearted service, not in competition with each other, but they work harmoniously for the good of the body. When division breaks loose, ruin is not far behind. In like manner, brethren in Christ function together as members one of another: in doctrine, worship, in truth, in togetherness, and have all things in common (Ephesians 4:25). One possessing self-love thinks his opinion is the law and unlawfully binds such on others. Authority signifies little to the selfish, a mindset most times unrecognized by its owner. The brother of our Lord put it this way, "For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and Goethe his way, and straightway forgeteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word, this man shall be blessed in his deed." (James 1:23-25. Therefore, if one thinks himself to be religious but does not control his mind and mouth, that religion is vain. Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the best of all? A heart of ambition breeds malice against opposition, vented naturally through the tongue, that poisonous restless evil member (James 3:8). The heart and mouth are both to be watched. Selfishness always abuses others. Service is always the execution of love. Love never fails but is kind and courteous every time. Love does not abuse a wife, a husband, children, fellow workers, not any thing! Amazing power -- Love! Why think evil or act evil of others and only think good of self? Give yourself away without reciprocity, without expecting something in return. God gave his son for our sins. Dare we to give ourselves in loving service fervently from the heart, thereby to receive the praising favor of both man and our Lord Jesus Christ! -- By Delbert J. Goins, Hubbard church of Christ, Hubbard,TX. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The popular preacher, Charles Spurgeon, was admonishing a class of divinity students on the importance of making the facial expressions harmonize with the speech in delivering sermons. "When you speak of heaven," he said, "let your face light up and be irradiated with a heavenly gleam. Let your eyes shine with reflected glory. And when you speak of hell... well, then your everyday face will do." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ He is the rock that I cling to, My shelter in a storm. He can make the birds sing, And shadows take bright form. Whenever I am lonely, Whenever I have fears, I call his name out softly, And I know that He hears. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ =============== [3] What is truth? =============== Truth is not determined by how many people believe something but by what we know is right, reasonable and certain. The dictionary has it right: truth is "conformity to knowledge, fact or actuality; veracity." Some hold that we can't be certain of finding truth, as if it were hiding from us, Yet, we read, "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." Jn: 8:32 The apostle Paul, in writing about our Christian duties, puts it this way: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." --Philippians: 4:8 It is significant that the Paul sums up these duties in a single paragraph by beginning, first, with the word "true." As Christ is our example, therefore, let truth prevail -- in words, actions and thoughts. -- Marv --"You can pretend to be what you are not, only for a while. The real you, the true you, is just a scratch beneath the surface. Stop hiding. The world needs the real you!" -- Bob Perks -- ================ [4] **The Funnies** ================ The Penalty.....from Able2Grin A 15-yard penalty was being walked off against the Detroit Lions, and as the referee was stepping it off one of the Detroit linemen growled at him," You stink ref!" Straightfaced, the referee walked off an additional 15-yard penalty against the Lions, turned toward the offending lineman and says, "So, how do I smell from here?" My 3-year-old was sitting in the middle seat of our van as we ran errands one morning. "Mom, can we plant this when we get home, and grow some hamburgers?" I turned to see what had prompted such an unusual question, and saw in his tiny little outstretched hand, one single sesame seed! --Rebecca Cleary, Kingsland, GA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is...That is why bad people know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it; and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means - - the only complete realist." - C.S. Lewis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~0~ From Marv's Advice Column ~0~ When your wife asks: "Do I look fat?" The correct response is: "Do I look stupid?" ** It Ain't Funny. boss man ** The boss returned from lunch in a good mood and called the whole staff in to listen to a couple of jokes he had picked up. Everybody, but one girl laughed uproariously. "What's the matter?" grumbled the boss. "Haven't you got a sense of humor?" "I don't have to laugh," she replied. "I'm leaving Friday." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The true past departs not, no truth or goodness realized by man ever dies, or can die; but all is still here, and recognized or not, lives and works through endless change." -- Thomas Carlyle ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Intense feeling too often obscures the truth. – Harry Truman -- Fixes Things A mother and father were quizzing their 5-year-old Megan about what she had learned in Sunday school that morning. "We learned about fixing things," she said. "Fixing things? You mean you did crafts." "No, we learned about fixing things," she insisted. "It's in our memory verse. Jesus said, 'I go to repair a place for you." >^,,^< >^,,^< >^,,^< >^,,^< My husband said it was him or the cat …I miss him sometimes. -- God's Paintbrush Grandma and her 5-year-old grandson Johnny were taking a walk in the country just after the first heavy frost had dyed the foliage and given it a brilliantly colored crazy quilt appearance. "Just think," Grandma marveled, gazing at a scarlet and gold-tinted hillside, "God painted all that." "Yeah," said Johnny, "and He even did it with His left hand." "What do you mean 'He did it with His left hand?'" she asked, somewhat puzzled. "Well," he replied reasonably, "at Sunday School, the teacher told us that Jesus is sitting on the right hand of God!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Answers to Hymnology Quiz ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [1] And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18. [2] He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.Psalm 23:3 [3] What a Friend We Have in Jesus. [4] Yes. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalm 61:2 [5] Yes. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7. 5. About the Manassas eMessenger |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Written by members of the Church of Christ for the edification of fellow Christians and instruction of those that are not yet. All materials herein are freely distributed and may be reproduced, unless individually specified, in any manner. Please forward this to all of your friends, or anyone else who you feel would benefit from the words spoken here. Credit for material reprinted or reproduced is requested. This newsletter was sent to you either because someone put you on the mailing list or you requested it. If you do not wish to receive this mailing please e-mail me at webminister@manassaschurch.org, or visit the Sign up page and complete the form Visit Bible Study Series for Internet study material Beginner's Bible Study for those who a just beginning to study the bible Internet Tract Rack is a place to find short articles about important issues Go to the Churches in the Nations Capitol for churches in the Washington DC area |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| .................... Special thanks to those who contributed to this month's eMessenger. Jointly edited by John and Marvin (Marv) Murphy -- You have reached the end but this can be a new beginning --