Shopping At Wal-Mart

All my adult life I have enjoyed watching people.  The late TV personality, Art Linklettter, hosted a program called "People Are Funny." The name of the program stated a fact—human beings, in the normal routines of life, can be very humorous, even when they are not trying to be funny. 

Shopping at Wal-Mart gives one an opportunity to engage in people watching at its best.  We have a Wal-Mart Super Center a few miles from our house and I usually have a need to stop there at least once a week to pick up one or more items.  Wal-Mart carries just about everything—groceries, clothes, automotive supplies, all kinds of gardening items, hardware items, small electronics, tech gadgets, etc., etc.  Like other Wal-Mart Super Centers, ours has a pharmacy, an optical department, a hair salon, a bank, a place to get copying done, a tax preparation assistance center (during tax preparation "season"), an auto repair center, and at one time a McDonalds.  In my retirement years, as my needs have become fewer and simpler, I have often said if I can't find it at Wal-Mart I probably don't really need it.  Plus, they have a good return policy.  If for any reason you are not pleased with an item, return it and they will replace it, refund your money, or give you a gift card for the amount of your purchase—no questions asked.     

Wal-Mart shoppers come in all sizes, shapes, colors, and in both genders (and sometimes—with reference to the latter—it is hard to tell which is which).  They come dressed (or practically undressed in some instances) in all kinds of garbs.  Many come not only to shop but also to socialize.  Benches are found at the front of the stores and these are usually occupied by people visiting with one another—often older men waiting for their wives to get through with their shopping.  Sometimes it is hard to negotiate the aisles of the grocery department because women have parked their carts in such a way that it is virtually impossible to get by them.  There are no "driving rules" in a Wal-Mart, as shoppers switch from one side of the aisle to the other.  Often several women will be engaged in conversations around their carts, creating a real "traffic jam" for other shoppers.

Shopping buggies serve a variety of purposes at Wal-Mart.  Not only are they used to hold items the shopper purchases, but for older  people, especially those who are somewhat obese, they are used as a kind of "rolling walker" on which to lean as they negotiate their way through the store.  One is able to surmise a great deal about people's eating habits and overall health habits just by observing them at Wal-Mart.  Not long ago, I saw a middle aged couple, both using electric carts, loading their shopping cart with several sacks of candy.    

Wal-Mart has its downside.  Take, for example,  the check-out lanes.  There may be as many as fifteen or twenty checkout stations at the local Wal-Mart but only two or three open at any given time, creating a long wait for people.  Exacerbating the problem is the fact that some customers will wait until all their items have been checked and bagged to begin rummaging in their purse, wallet, or pocket for their checkbook or credit or debit card. What's the problem with having the card ready or the check already written except for the amount of the purchase?  People's failure to think or plan ahead is something one learns by shopping at Wal-Mart.  Come on, folks, get with it! Don't you know that we retired folks are in a hurry, with places to go and things to do? 

One other matter: Some people who can get to Wal-Mart at least once a week—sometimes more often—can't make it to church on Sunday.  If I were to do an interview with certain folks I see at Wal-Mart and ask them where they go to church I have no doubt that some of them would say, "Well, I've got this old arthritis so bad or this problem with the gout so bad or this knee problem or this hip problem that I am not able to go to church." (Maybe sometime I will tell you about the lady who suffered an injury in a car accident that put her on crutches and kept her out of church for about six months, and was embarrassed when I saw her hobbling high up into the stands at Ladd Stadium in Mobile, Alabama to see the Senior Bowl game!) 

Like I said, people are funny and you can learn a lot just by watching them—especially Wal-Mart shoppers.

Hugh Fulford

November 15, 2011

RIDICULING THE WORD OF GOD

"But when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked…" (Acts 17:30).  Such was the reaction in ancient Athens to Paul's sermon about the one true God, the resurrection of Christ, and the final judgment of all humanity.  Sadly, that spirit of mockery and ridicule still exists, even among some who profess to be friends of the word of God. Consider the following example of such. 

Jesus very clearly taught, "He who that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16, KJV).  The apostle Peter unmistakably commanded, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38, NKJV).  In spite of the clarity of these two passages (along with a host of others) as to the place of baptism in God's plan of salvation, there are those who seek to avoid the force of the passages by ridiculing them.

"When is the sinner saved in baptism?  When the tip of his nose breaks the surface of the water?" So asks one modern mocker.  Why are such blasphemous attitudes directed toward the plain teaching of God's word?    What if it could be proved that one is saved before "the tip of his nose breaks the surface of the water"?  Would that change what the New Testament says about the necessity of baptism for the remission of sins?  Why not simply preach and practice what the Bible says without caviling? Ridiculing the word and mocking it will not change what it says one iota.

When Jesus came to John the Baptist at the Jordan River to be baptized, John protested, saying, "I have need to be baptized by You." Jesus' response was, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:13-17).  At what point in Jesus' baptism was all righteousness fulfilled: When Jesus first approached John?  (Surely the Father knew the intent of His Son's heart!)  As He and John started down into the water?  When they were standing waist deep in the water?  While Jesus was still submerged in the water?  Or when the tip of His nose first broke the surface of the water?!  What a mockery of a holy act!

Paul wrote, "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians3:27).  I wonder exactly when the Galatians got "into Christ": When they first approached the water? When they were standing waist deep in the water?  While still submerged beneath the water?  Or when the tips of their noses broke the surface of the water?  The utter foolishness of some!

I never ceased to be amazed at the lengths—to say nothing of the silliness—to which some people will go in an effort to get around the clear teaching of God's word!  Paul wrote, "For the message of the cross [and the response one is to make to that message, hf] is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God" (I Corinthians 1:18).  The apostle then follows with a quotation from Isaiah: "I [God] will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent" (Verse 19).  A moment later he declared, "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (Verse 25). How modern man does need to learn this most basic and fundamental truth!

Several years ago I published an essay titled "Market-PlaceChurches, User-Friendly Elderships, and Generic Preachers."  In it I spoke of those who have compromised the word of God for the sake of their own opinions—those of whom Paul spoke when he said, "Be not wise in your own conceits/opinion" (Romans 12:16).  Those who mock and ridicule the clear teaching of Scripture and who seek to circumvent the obvious are guilty of just exactly that!   Christ emphatically affirmed, "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day" (John12:48).  As I said in the above referenced essay, "I would not want to be in the shoes of some preachers on the day of God's final judgment."

Hugh Fulford

November 8, 2011

Antinomy of Scripture - November 1, 2011

In studying the Scriptures it is important to recognize the principle of antinomy.  Failure to do so results in warped and one-sided conclusions that have not taken into consideration the total teaching of God’s word regarding a matter.  The sovereignty of God and the free will of man,  God’s grace and man’s obedience to the gospel, and God’s keeping of the saved and the possibility of apostasy are but three areas (among many) in which antinomy must be recognized.

“Antinomy” means: “1. Opposition; contradiction.  2. Contradiction between inferences or principles that seem equally necessary and reasonable.”  (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language).  There are many passages that speak of the sovereignty of God.  "For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.'  So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy" (Romans 9:15-16).  To read such a passage alone could lead one to falsely assume that man has no will or choice of his own.  Those Scriptures which speak of God’s work have led some to conclude that man is totally passive insofar as his salvation is concerned.  Yet just three chapters earlier Paul had written: "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves servants to obey, you are that one's servant whom you obey, whether of sin to death or obedience to righteousness" (Romans 6: 16)?   Humans have the power to choose whether they will serve Satan or God!  All are invited to come to Christ, and the invitation can be accepted or rejected (Matthew 11:28-30).

In the same vein, those passages which speak of the grace of God have led some to erroneously conclude that salvation is unconditional.  Yet, we need to read further.  With reference to the sins of one who has not yet become a Christian we might examine the case of Saul of Tarsus. When Christ appeared to him on theDamascus road, Saul asked: “Lord, what do you want me to do” (Acts 9:6).  Christ did not respond by saying: “Nothing, Saul; there is not anything you can do to be saved.” Rather, the Lord said: “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  Unless the Bible communicates a contradictory message (which it does not), it is very clear that the sinner must do something to be saved!

As to the security of the believer, Christians can bask in the promise of Christ: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who gave them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29). Yet, the child of God must “beware lest anyone take you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8).  Christians are exhorted: "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God" (Hebrews 3:12).  One cannot depart from God if he has never been in fellowship with God. 

What we see at work in all of these passages is the principle of antinomy.  Some statements of Scripture give emphasis to God’s side of a matter, with no intent or purpose of saying anything about man’s side.  Other passages speak of the human side of that same matter with nothing being said about God’s involvement in the situation.  Separating them and stressing one to the exclusion of the other creates a warped and unbalanced view of the matter, leading to confusion.  Looking at the complete array of Biblical teaching on the subject shows both sides to be valid, reasonable, and necessary.

Antinomy is like the two sides of a single coin.  Look at one side and you see one thing; look at the other side and you see something else.  Yet the two sides are all one coin.  So it is with the things of God.  Some passages speak of God's gracious activity in salvation; others speak of the conditions with which humans must comply in order to receive that salvation.  For a sinner to repent and be baptized "for" (eis = in order to) the remission of sins (Acts 2:38) in no wise nullifies the fact that one is saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Understanding and basking in God’s wondrous activities is the antidote to any and all legalistic and Pharisaic attitudes among the people of God.  Recognizing the conditional nature of a right relationship with God serves as a needed reminder that Christ is "the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him" (Hebrews 5:9).

Have you read your Bible today? October 18, 2011

Jerry Kilgore is a "true blue" friend and a faithful Christian.  Among his various e-mail logos is one that asks, "Have you read your Bible today?"  That is a good questions and one that I recommend we always strive to answer in the affirmative. 

I find time (several times!) every day to eat. I find time every day (almost) to read the newspaper.  Most days I watch a little television – very little, I might say.  Every day I work at my computer, send out e-mails, etc.  Every day I try to read my Bible. I must confess, however, that in rare situations, for whatever reason (travel, schedule filled with numerous activities, lack of self-discipline), a day may occasionally go by when I don't literally pick up The Book and read directly from it.  I am fortunate to have been able over the years to memorize large sections of scripture, and to call them up and reflect on them.   So even on those days when I don't actually read from the Bible itself, I try to nourish my soul with passages from the word of God which "I have laid up in my heart" (Psalms 119:11).

Why is it so important to read and mediate on God's word every day?  First, it is food for the soul, and without that food the soul will grow weak and die.  Christ said, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:48).  Only by reading God's word can we know of Christ and His teaching and partake of the life-sustaining bread. Second, the Bible is milk for the newborn child of God.  Young Christians are to "desire the pure milk of the word, that [they] may grow thereby" (I Peter 2:2). Third, God's word is solid food for the more mature Christian – "for those of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil" (Hebrews 5:14).  Fourth, the Bible is water to a thirsty, parched soul.  To the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well Jesus said, "Whoever drinks of this water (the water from the well) will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14). Fifth, the word of God is a delectable "sweet treat."  "How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth" (Psalms 119:103).

What a rich and varied supply of food for our soul God has provided  in His wonderful word!  No wonder Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone [physical food, hf], but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).  But how is our appetite?  Do we "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matthew 5:6)?  Or, are we feeding our bodies and starving our souls? 

Most of us have a Bible.  Within eyesight of where I sit here at my computer desk writing this article I can count nine copies of either the entire Bible or of the New Testament in various versions.  In other parts of my office, throughout our house, and in my car are several other copies of the Bible.  What an eternal tragedy it would be to never open them to read the life-giving and life-sustaining message they contain! But you need only one copy of the Bible – provided you will read it and let it nourish your soul. 

Have You Read Your Bible Today?

Jerry Kilgore is a "true blue" friend and a faithful Christian.  Among his various e-mail logos is one that asks, "Have you read your Bible today?"  That is a good questions and one that I recommend we always strive to answer in the affirmative. 

I find time (several times!) every day to eat. I find time every day (almost) to read the newspaper.  Most days I watch a little television – very little, I might say.  Every day I work at my computer, send out e-mails, etc.  Every day I try to read my Bible. I must confess, however, that in rare situations, for whatever reason (travel, schedule filled with numerous activities, lack of self-discipline), a day may occasionally go by when I don't literally pick up The Book and read directly from it.  I am fortunate to have been able over the years to memorize large sections of scripture, and to call them up and reflect on them.   So even on those days when I don't actually read from the Bible itself, I try to nourish my soul with passages from the word of God which "I have laid up in my heart" (Psalms 119:11).

Why is it so important to read and mediate on God's word every day?  First, it is food for the soul, and without that food the soul will grow weak and die.  Christ said, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:48).  Only by reading God's word can we know of Christ and His teaching and partake of the life-sustaining bread. Second, the Bible is milk for the newborn child of God.  Young Christians are to "desire the pure milk of the word, that [they] may grow thereby" (I Peter 2:2). Third, God's word is solid food for the more mature Christian – "for those of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil" (Hebrews 5:14).  Fourth, the Bible is water to a thirsty, parched soul.  To the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well Jesus said, "Whoever drinks of this water (the water from the well) will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14). Fifth, the word of God is a delectable "sweet treat."  "How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth" (Psalms 119:103).

What a rich and varied supply of food for our soul God has provided  in His wonderful word!  No wonder Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone [physical food, hf], but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).  But how is our appetite?  Do we "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matthew 5:6)?  Or, are we feeding our bodies and starving our souls? 

Most of us have a Bible.  Within eyesight of where I sit here at my computer desk writing this article I can count nine copies of either the entire Bible or of the New Testament in various versions.  In other parts of my office, throughout our house, and in my car are several other copies of the Bible.  What an eternal tragedy it would be to never open them to read the life-giving and life-sustaining message they contain! But you need only one copy of the Bible – provided you will read it and let it nourish your soul. 

Hugh Fulford

October 18, 2011

GOD'S TWELVE-STEP PROGRAM - October 11, 2011

For many years Alcoholics Anonymous has used a "Twelve-Step Program" to help its members overcome their addiction to alcohol.  The program has been extremely effective.  The discerning student of the Scriptures will discover that God also has a "Twelve-Step Program." 

Last week I told you something about Marshall Keeble.  He was a powerful and effective evangelist who led thousands to Christ during his sixty-five year ministry. One of his favorite sermons was titled "Five Steps To Church And Seven To Heaven." Simple math reveals that brother Keeble had discovered God's twelve-step program. What did Keeble emphasize in this simple yet powerful sermon?

First, a word about the word "church" and what is meant by the word.  According to the New Testament, the church is the body of people who have been redeemed from their sins by the blood of Christ.  The Lord adds to the church those who are being saved (Acts 2:47).  Thus, when brother Keeble talked about their being five steps to church he was saying that there are five steps to being saved from sin and added to the spiritual body of Christ.  What are those five steps?

1. Hear.  To be saved one must hear the gospel, the good news of Christ's death for the sins of mankind.  "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).

2. Believe.  Having heard the gospel of Christ, one must believe it.  Paul declared that the gospel is "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…." (Romans 1:16).

3. Repent.  Jesus said, "I tell you . . . but unless you repent you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3, 5).

4. Confess.  This is a confession of faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.  (Romans 10:9-10).

5. Be Baptized.  Baptism is in order to the remission of sins (Acts 2:38) and to have sins washed away (Acts 22:16).  At the point of baptism one is saved and added to the church. (Acts 2:47).

Then what?  The spiritual journey has not ended.  In fact, it has only begun.  From the watery grave of baptism, one is raised to "walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4). The apostle Peter lays out seven wonderful Christian graces/qualities that Christians must add to their faith.  These are named in II Peter 1:5-7 and consist of the following:

1. Virtue.  Simply defined, this is moral excellence.

2. Knowledge.  This is an understanding of God's will as revealed in His word.  All Christians are to grow in such (II Peter.3:18).

3. Self-control.  This has to do with bridling our attitudes and actions.

4. Perseverance.  This relates to patiently persisting in the doing of what is right.  The Christian is to stay with the job of following Christ.

5. Godliness.  Simply put, this is godlikeness—the child of God coming to look more and more like his Heavenly Father. 

6. Brotherly-kindness.  Paul wrote, "And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32).

7. Love.  This is the queen of all the Christian graces  (I Corinthians 13:13).

If one will take the five steps to church and then follow up with the practice of the seven Christian graces, Peter assures his readers (including us today) that "an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II Peter 1:10-11).  Are you following God's "Twelve-Step Program"?

MARSHALL KEEBLE - October 4, 2011

 One of the great gospel preachers of the 20^thcentury was a black evangelist by the name of Marshall Keeble.  He was born inRutherford County, Tennessee in 1878 and died in Nashville in 1968 at the age of 89. Over the course of his life his mode of travel ranged all the way from mule back to jet airplane.  He preached all across the United States in such major cities as Seattle,Denver, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami,Detroit, Atlanta, as well as many others.  He preached in Africa and visited missionaries around the world. 

In Preachers of Today (Volume III) [1964], Keeble reported that he had baptized over 25,000 people and established more than 200 congregations of the Lord's people.  By the time of his death he had been an evangelist for some sixty-five years.  It was my privilege to hear brother Keeble on several occasions, the last of which was in the spring of 1967 when he came to the Madison Street Church of Christ in Clarksville, Tennessee (where I was serving as the local minister) for a one-night special engagement.  Even at an advanced age, Keeble was still powerful in the pulpit, and his sermon to an audience of over 1000 that April evening resulted in five baptisms and five restorations to the Lord.

Brother Keeble was limited in his formal education but not in his intellect or in his knowledge of the Scriptures and in a unique ability to relate to his audience and make the Scriptures come alive to his hearers. Writing in the July 2010 issue of theCarolina Messenger, Dr. J. E. Choate, retired professor of Bible at Lipscomb University inNashville, said: "There is no end to the Keeble stories and most are true."

Keeble was a master at the use of humor in his preaching.  He said: "I am a little funny or comical, but it's been a joy to me.  It's kept my enemies from bothering me.  I have carried a lot of humor just to flavor my message.  You can put too much flavor in anything.  Does me good sometimes to go home and lay (sic) in bed and laugh at myself.  People are so easy to teach if you know how."

In a California meeting Keeble was challenged by a young man who said to him: "You have spoken about every other church; now what about mine?"  Keeble answered, "I don't know what church you are a member of."  The young man responded, "The Latter Day Saints." Keeble shot back, "You're too late!" The next night the young man moved a little closer to the front and when the invitation was extended he came forward to be baptized into Christ!

Keeble did not hesitate to call the names of religious parties, identify their doctrines, and contrast human doctrines with the plain teaching of God's word.  He was sometimes criticized by his brethren for being so bold as to call names.  Keeble explained: "Jesus called names.  He called Lazarus by name. If he hadn't called him by name everybody in the cemetery would have gotten up!"  He said: "I call names sometimes.  God deliver me from a hintin' preacher!"

He preached to his own brethren.  He said: "My brethren are like dogs sometimes; you've got to pet this one to keep him from biting that one."  He said: "The worst man in town will respect you if you deserve it. Even a bootlegger will respect you if you deserve it; but start drinking his stuff and you're gone, sure 'nuf gone."

Marshall Keeble's strength as a preacher lay in his complete trust in the Bible as the inspired and authoritative word of God.  He said: "The Bible is right.  You can go home and fuss all night.  The Bible is right.  You can walk the streets and call Keeble a fool. The Bible is right.  You can go home and have spasms.  The Bible is right."

I loved Marshall Keeble.  I loved to hear him preach.  The late B. C. Goodpasture, long-time editor of the Gospel Advocate and benefactor of Keeble, said Keeble really had only one sermon—salvation.  Well, if a preacher only has one sermon, what better one could it be than salvation?