Waldron Mission Fund

 

Under the oversight of the elders of the Crossville church of Christ, PO Box 211, Crossville, TN 38557

Bulletin Brief

Questions from the commentary by Jim E. Waldron

”THE LAMB/THE LION”

 

SINGING REDEMPTION’S SONG!

 

No. 155. - What is the theme of the song in chapter 5? 

 

   It is one of redemption.  Here is a text that ought to be used regularly to teach the urgency of world evangelism.

 

 

   As disciples of Christ we have been given the greatest responsibility in the world which is to preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15-16). What a tragedy it is that so many church leaders have failed to teach their congregations that spending enormous quantities of God’s money on cathedrals, gymnasiums, social programs and/or keeping large bank accounts is not a proper response to this obligation.

   The world population for 2008 stands at 6.7 billion (www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf-Windows Internet Explorer).  If a man gave his wife one billion dollars and gave her two rules about spending it: “Spend $10,000 every day and don’t come back until you have spent it all.”  She would be gone for more than 273 years.  Yet, our Lord expects us to preach to the six billion plus, who are our contemporaries on this planet.

 

WARS IN HEAVENLY PLACES

 

No.  304 - Tell the result of the war in heaven and what it symbolized.

 

Satan was cast down and no place was found for him or his angels in heaven (Rev. 12:9), that is, in the heavenly places (cf., Ephesians 6:12).  Until the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Satan had two strongholds or fortresses in the spiritual realm.  They were sin and death.  Until Jesus’ death and resurrection no man or woman had ever truly been freed from sin and no one had been raised forevermore.  Sin and death reigned from Adam until Jesus gave His life for sin and was raised on the third day following (See Romans 5:17-21).  The date of April 7-9, 30 (that is the dates of the crucifixion and resurrection) can be placed on Revelation 12:9.

   Satan held those two bastions of tyranny from Eden until the morning of the resurrection, but thanks to God through our Lord Jesus Christ he has no place left to which he can cling.  Note, this does not mean that Satan is no longer warring against us in the spiritual realm, but it means he has no place to hide.  How fitting is the symbol that he has been cast down.  We could readily say he has been kicked out of his fortresses.  However, we must be aware that his being cast down to the earth and having great wrath may well describe in symbol the guerrilla warfare by which means he is determined to destroy as many lives and souls as he possibly can. 

 

  Beloved, we are at war!  Where is the missionary zeal to reach the earth’s masses, which are beaten down by deprivation, disease, death and the devil?  We are told that Jesus’ zeal for God’s house had eaten Him up (John 2:17)?  Where is the Christ-like zeal?  Why is there so little vigor and vitality for the house of God in our generation?  Why is there so much zeal for our young people to be good in athletics and so little for them to excel in the knowledge of God’s word? Why is it that so many able bodied adults can only drag themselves to worship or Bible study one hour per week?

   Since, “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that (we) should follow in His steps…” (I Peter 2:21), where are those who are willing to imitate Him to get the gospel to the earth’s poor as He brought it to us?  Where are the evangelists who are also willing to “endure hardship as … good soldier(s) of Jesus Christ”? (II Timothy 2:3).  Years ago I read of a preacher in New Jersey, who in the late forties had trouble getting people to attend the services of his church.  Thus he announced that if the people did not come to the meeting on a certain Sunday, he was going to set fire to his Bible.  And he did!  A reporter wrote in the local paper that if the preacher had let the Bible set fire to him, then it would not have been necessary for him to set fire to the Bible.  Where is the “burning fire shut up in (our) bones” (Jeremiah 20:9), that ought to stir our hearts for world evangelism?

   Jesus sent word to John by the latter’s disciples that His miracles proved He was the Christ and for further evidence He added, “the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Matthew 11:5).  Worldly people stand up for seals, whales and dolphins and we cannot get off the back burner when it comes to lost souls.  The ship of destiny with the poverty-stricken multitudes of Africa, Asia and Latin America, not to mention the 300 million lost in our own land, are streaming into eternity while we are asleep in the hold of the ship and the ship’s captain is saying to us, “What do you mean, sleeper?  Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish” (Jonah 1:6).  We, as God’s children, must fight Satan for the minds and hearts of men and women.  We must act like Jesus, who came “to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10). 

   Did Jonah shirk his obligation to reach the teeming masses anymore than we do today?  Jonah is going to rise up with this generation and say,  “at least I went to Nineveh.”  Perhaps if more preachers got swallowed by a great fish or had to endure some other catastrophe they might be more anxious to take the gospel to those who do not know their right hand from the left when it comes to spiritual things.  One preacher who had agreed to teach a month in a school of preaching in a third world country left after only two days.  His excuse, “I can’t stand the heat and humidity.”  In an attempt to excuse his early departure to a native mountain-bred brother who had eagerly awaited his arrival, he said, “back home I have an air-conditioned house, an air-conditioned car and an air-conditioned office.” 

 

 

THE GREAT RED DRAGON

 

 

No. 307 - By what 3 things did God's people overcome the great red dragon?

 

 

(1) By the blood of the Lamb.

(2) By the word of their testimony.

(3) They did not love their lives to the death   (Rev. 12:11).

 

   There is an important principle to be seen in the suffering of these saints for the gospel’s sake.  Christ suffered to give us an exemplary life (Hebrews 4:15), His blood for our redemption (I Peter 1:18-19) and the hope of the resurrection from the dead (Philippians 3:10). 

 

   It took suffering on the part of Jesus and it takes suffering and sacrifice on our part to get this gospel to the world.  Thus Paul wrote, “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church” (Colossians 1:24).  This ought to make us ask, Why are there so few who are willing to suffer to get the gospel to the billions who are lost?  Do we not know that the Spirit said, “Those who sow in tears, shall reap in joy.  He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5,6).  Those who are not qualified or are not actually able to go must sacrifice that others may go to the lost, as the Spirit has said, “how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14,15).

Note:  You may obtain a copy of The Lamb/The Lion commentary on Revelation by Jim E. Waldron,

without charge, by writing to

 

Waldron Mission Fund,

                          P.O. Box 123, Dunlap, TN  3732