EXPOSITORY FILES 1.3
March, 1994
_______________________________
Edited by Warren E. Berkley
And Jon W. Quinn
________________________________
Last year, shortly after I hooked up a modem and signed up
with America On-line, the thought occurred to me that an
"electronic" magazine with expository articles would be
a
good idea. I didn't have any vision in the night or
anything. It was just a thought, based on the interests
and motivations of a Christian.
After a few days I contacted a few other brethren familiar
with this medium and asked what they thought. Most thought
it would be a good idea, but virtually everybody I talked
to said something like, "try it, but don't expect too
much."
A few days after joining AOL, I ran into Mark Copeland and
I was impressed with his use of this medium through his
*Executable Outline Studies. I also found an old friend,
Jon Quinn. I first met Jon when we both were preaching in
Kansas back in the 1970's. I held a meeting where he was
working (in Topeka) and we became good friends. Now I've
always regarded Jon as a little weird. But in spite of
that he has always impressed me as a hard working gospel
preacher, and a student and writer of great care and
talent. I contacted my old friend, we exchanged some ideas
and within a few weeks we had put together the first
issue. We had no idea there would be over 100 downloads
the first month {the total now approaches well over that}
and even more the second month. We even received letters
from people without computers (there are some) asking for
access to this journal. We are truly excited about what
has happened, and we are thrilled when we think of the
future.
Early last month - during the Florida College Lectures in
Tampa - the first annual meeting of the editorial staff of
EXPOSITORY FILES convened ... both of us were there. We
discussed the future of this E-magazine, and we think
we've come up with several reasons for you to continue
your monthly downloads. Good things are ahead, so stay
on-line.
"And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word
of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you
an inheritance among all those who are sanctified," (Acts
20:32).
__________________________________________
The "EXECUTABLE OUTLINES" SERIES is an excellent series
of
Bible studies and outlines suitable for anyone desiring a
deeper knowledge of God's Word. These are available
through AOL, Compuserve, and other networks .. or, contact
Mark ...
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Awareness Of Danger
(Colossians 2:8)
by Warren E. Berkley
_________________
"Beware lest anyone cheat you 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].
To beware is to be aware and informed of danger. It means,
to take heed and be on your guard, watching for spiritual
dangers. Those who walk through life blind, naive and
ignorant run into things and get hurt. This verse tells us
to be aware. [See also: Eph. 5:15; 1 Pet. 5:8,9; 1 Jno.
4:1.]
Our text says, "Beware, lest anyone cheat you." The King
James says, "Beware lest any man spoil you." The
American
Standard, "Take heed lest there shall be anyone that
maketh spoil of you." Notice this word "spoil." In
those
days, in a war, captives or prisoners would be taken away.
Sometimes they would be paraded before crowds in victory
processionals. To be part of the "spoils" of war meant
you
had been captured, then humiliated, punished and perhaps
sold into slavery. This is the picture Paul uses to warn
us of what false teachers can do, if we are not careful!
[See also: 2 Pet. 2:1-3 & Rom. 16:17,18.] "Beware, lest
anyone make spoil of you!"
Notice now the weapons false teachers use to take us
captive:
1. Philosophy - a love for some human system of wisdom [1
Tim. 6:20,21; Jer. 10:23.]
2. Empty Deceit. Two ideas emerge from this phrase: {a}
that which is deceptive, and {b} that which is empty. When
we allow men to deceive is, we wind up with nothing; we
are rendered empty by the deceitful teachings and
influences of men. [See also: 1 Tim. 2:14; Gal. 6:7-9.]
3. THE TRADITION OF MEN is that which is "of man" and
has
been handed down from generation to generation. Jesus
charged the scribes and Pharisees with this penetrating
question: "Why do you transgress the commandment of God
because of your tradition?" (Matt. 15:3).
4. THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE WORLD. This probably refers
to the old Mosaic law. It was basic, and a necessary step
in God's overall plan. It is called "the elements of the
world" in Gal. 4:3, but this law had been annulled and was
not to be enforced as necessary to salvation [See, Acts
15:1-35; Gal. 5:1-6].
5. THINGS NOT "ACCORDING TO CHRIST." If some teaching is
"according to Christ," that means He authorized it; it
has
His approval. Hence, that which is NOT according to Christ
is that which He didn't authorize; that which does not
have His approval. These false teachers, who were
attempting to influence the saints at Colossae, were using
human philosophy, empty deceit, human tradition, the basic
principles of the world and other things which were NOT
ACCORDING TO CHRIST.
My friend, don't be afraid to hold to this conviction -->
If something is not according to Christ, we ought not to
have any participation in it!! Paul tells us to have no
fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but
rather reprove them (Eph. 5:11).
We ought not to let anybody convince us that there is
something we need for our spiritual welfare, unless it is
according to Christ. In Colossians 2:8, the apostle Paul
sounds the alarm. Will we give heed??
==============================
A Savior Is Born
Luke 2:1-20
by Chris Reeves
_____________
When the angel announced to the shepherds the birth of
Jesus he said: "Be not afraid; for behold I bring you good
tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people: for
there is born to you this day in the city of David a
Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Jesus is our Savior!
What good news! Let us
briefly examine some of the events
that surround this glorious announcement.
NO ROOM FOR A SAVIOR (vv.1-8). Luke records an important
historical event that took place during the days of Caesar
Augustus. Joseph and Mary
traveled to Bethlehem because
it was the time for enrollment.
There was someone else
that went with them that day.
Mary was carrying the
world's Savior inside her.
The city was crowded because
many had come to be enrolled and there was no room in the
inn for Joseph, Mary and our Savior.
Today, the hearts of many are like that little inn of
Bethlehem; crowded with sin; crowed with worldly cares,
pleasures, prizes and pursuits; and crowed with human
wisdom; so much so that they have no room for the Savior
in their lives. Jesus
said: "Behold I stand at the door
and knock, if any may hear my voice and open the door, I
will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with
me" (Revelation 3:20).
Will you open the door of your
heart and give the Savior room in your life?
AN ANGEL'S SERMON (vv.9-14).
Outside the city of
Bethlehem some shepherds were watching over their flocks
by night. Suddenly, an
angel appeared to them and said:
"Be not afraid..."
There was no reason for the shepherds
to fear because what the angel was about to say was a
glorious revelation from God.
The coming of a Savior into
the world is a cause for rejoicing, not fear. What did
the angel announce?
First, notice
the character of his
announcement. The angel
announced "good tidings of great
joy." It is a joyous
occasion when a Savior comes into
the world and we obey him.
Jesus said: "Even so, I say
unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of
God over one sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:10). After
the Eunuch believed the good news about Jesus and was
baptized, "he went on his way rejoicing" (Acts 8:39).
There is no joy like the joy of salvation from sin.
Second, notice
the scope of his announcement.
What the angel said was not just for the shepherds, but
"to all the people."
Jesus is indeed the "Savior of the
world" (John 4:42; 1 John 4:14). No race, color, class or
gender of people are exempt from salvation. However, all
must obey the gospel of Jesus in order to be saved.
Speaking of Jesus, the writer of Hebrews said: "he became
unto all them that obey him the author of eternal
salvation" (Hebrews 5:9).
Paul wrote that Jesus is "the
Savior of the body" (Ephesians 5:23). We must therefore
be "baptized into the one body" (1 Corithians 12:13) in
order to be saved by the Savior.
Third, notice the
substance of his
announcement. The angel
said that Jesus was "a Savior,
who is Christ the Lord."
Jesus is "Savior" because he
saves mankind from sin (Matthew 1:21). Jesus is "Christ"
("Christ" means anointed) because God anointed him to
heal
all mankind from spiritual illness (Luke 4:18-19). Jesus
is "Lord" because he is ruler of all mankind (Acts
10:36).
Will you let Jesus save you, heal your spiritual illnesses
and rule your life?
Soon this angelic messenger was joined by a multitude of
other angels who offered praise to God, saying: "Glory to
God in the highest, And on earth peace among men in whom
he is well pleased."
God is to be praised for giving us
such a wonderful Savior.
Paul wrote: "But God commendeth
his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Peace comes to
each man when his sin which separates him from God is
removed by the blood of Jesus through baptism. Again Paul
wrote: "Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). Do
you want this peace in your life?
URGENT SHEPHERDS (vv.15-20).
What did the shepherds do
with this new revelation from God? They showed intense
interest. When the angels
departed the shepherds
immediately made plans to come into Bethlehem to see the
Savior, "and they came with haste." When someone is
sincere and serious about his own salvation he will make
immediate plans to find the Savior. He will search until
he finds Jesus. Jesus
said: "Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled"
(Matthew 5:6). On another
occasion when he was asked by
his disciples, "Lord, are they few that are saved,"
Jesus
said: "Strive to enter in by the narrow door: for many, I
say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be
able" (Luke 13:24).
Only the urgent, only those who
strive, will be saved. The
Savior is waiting to be found
on the pages of the New Testament. Will you, like the
shepherds, make haste to find him?
The enthusiasm of the shepherds did not cease when they
found the Savior. When
they saw Jesus they "made known
concerning the saying which was spoken to them about this
child." Their news
was to joyous to keep to themselves so
they proclaimed to all that could hear. When you have a
good thing you want to share it with others. The first
century Christians "went about preaching the word" (Acts
8:4).
When we find the Savior and obey him we will return to our
daily routine the same way these shepherds did -
"glorifying and praising God for all the things that they
had heard and seen..."
Sometime after the apostle Paul
found the Savior and obeyed him he said: "For our
citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20). Can
you say the same?
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Martha's Discovery Of The One Necessary Thing
(Luke 10:38-42)
By Jon Quinn
_________________
Jesus had three
friends who lived in Bethany. He
would occasionally stay in their home when He was in
Judea. Lazarus, Mary and Martha were brother and sisters.
They lived together in the same house which probably was
owned by Martha. At least, Luke records that it was Martha
who welcomed the Lord into her house (LUKE 10:38).
Bethany was located on
the eastern slope of the Mount
of Olives on the road linking Jerusalem to Jericho. It was
just over a mile and a half from Jerusalem, or about a
half hour's walk. It would have been a very convenient
place for Jesus and His fellow Galileans to stay when
visiting Jerusalem for a feast day or on some other
occasion. Also, its proximity to the garden of Gethsemane
should be noted. Though we
only have the record of the
Lord's final visit to Gethsemane for prayer and His
subsequent arrest there, we know that it was a favorite
place of His while in the Jerusalem area. Luke records
that it was His custom to go to that particular place
(LUKE 22:39,40).
There are three
passages of Scripture which mention
Martha. They are LUKE 10:38-42 when Jesus taught in her
home while she busied herself preparing food for her
guests; JOHN 11:1-44 when Jesus raised her brother Lazarus
from the dead and JOHN 12:2 when Jesus visited her home
just six days before His crucifixion. We find her busy
again preparing food while her sister Mary anoints Jesus'
feet with costly perfume.
LIFE'S DISTRACTIONS
"And she had a
sister called Mary, who moreover was
listening to the Lord's word, seated at His feet. But
Martha was distracted by all her preparations; and she
came up to Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my
sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell
her to help me." (LUKE 10:39,40). Both Mary and Martha are
disciples of Jesus. These two women deal with Jesus' visit
in two different ways. It is certainly important to
observe something just now: it was not an either/or
proposition for them or for us. We do not have to choose
between worshiping the Lord like Mary or serving the Lord
like Martha. Neither does there need to be such a conflict
between our physical or secular needs and our spiritual
growth. Sadly, that is exactly what many believers end up
with.
A careful reading of
the context shows us that Mary
had been in the kitchen with Martha until Jesus started
teaching. Note Martha said
that her sister had left her
alone to do all the serving.
But Jesus knows that
neither Mary nor Martha can live
by bread alone (MATTHEW 4:4).
It was now time to digest
some spiritual bread and feed the soul. Martha was being
distracted from her soul's needs by other things. The
other things in this case are not bad things. Sometimes,
even good things can fill up our lives to the point where
we neglect our souls. God has not blessed us with our
families, friends, jobs, abilities and other gifts to give
us an excuse to abandon a close walk with Him. Without Him
we can do nothing (JOHN 15:5).
DO NOT LET SO MANY THINGS WORRY YOU
"But the Lord
answered and said to her, 'Martha,
Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many
things." (LUKE 10:41).
Anxiety is a killer. Many of the
physical and mental ills of our present day are stress
related. And Martha is certainly a stressed out lady at
this point in time. Her exasperation can be seen in the
way she forms her question, "Lord, do You not care...?" I
can well imagine her "stewing" for a time in the kitchen
(where else would you stew?) before being emboldened to
charge into the room in such a way.
And certainly the Lord
does care, but not nearly as
much about the problem as Martha sees it as He does about
the real problem of which Martha is unaware. The Lord is
more concerned about Martha's state of mind and priorities
than He is about being served a feast later on.
Where faith grows,
anxiety lessens. This is one of
the chief lessons Jesus taught earlier in His ministry
during what we call the sermon on the mount; "Do not be
anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall
we drink?'... But seek first His kingdom and His
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto
you." (MATTHEW 6:31-33). Having the correct set of
priorities (putting His kingdom first) will greatly reduce
your chance of heart attack.
THE NECESSARY THING
"...but only a
few things are necessary, really only
one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be
taken from her." (LUKE 10:42). The good part which Mary
had chosen was to listen to the Lord's teaching. In the
final scheme of things, the things Jesus said that day
were of much more importance than what He ate. Today, if
we are too busy to commune with the Lord; to pray and
study His word; to meditate on life's purpose and to enjoy
a peaceful, private time with Him, then there is something
horribly wrong with our practice. If our walk of faith
consists mainly of going to church and then on with life's
busy day then we are not receiving of the goodness that
the Lord has planned for us. And if we are so hassled by
the routines of daily existence that we find ourselves
lashing out at those we love as Martha did on that
occasion, then isn't that a good indication that something
needs fixed?
THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE
"Jesus said to
her, 'I am the resurrection and the
life; he who believes in Me shall live even if He dies."
(JOHN 11:25). After
Lazarus had died, and as Jesus
approached Bethany, it was Martha who ran to meet Jesus
while Mary remained at the house.
Her first words seem to
mingle faith and complaint; "Lord, if You had been here my
brother would not have died. " (JOHN 11:21). While one
does not want to condone the complaint, it must be
understood that many of the faithful have complained about
one thing or another. Abraham, Job, Moses, David and
Jeremiah to name a few. God seems to have more patience
with this than He does with faithless grumbling and
foolish accusations such as those made by the Israelites
in the wilderness.
Martha's faith in
Jesus never wavered. When Jesus
asks her about her belief in Him, she sums up her faith
this way; "Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the
Christ, the Son of God, even He that comes into the
world." (JOHN 11:27).
Jesus had earlier said
only one thing is really
necessary. I believe He was referring to faith. Faith
comes by hearing His word (ROMANS 10:17). Faith overcomes
the world (I JOHN 5:4).
Without faith it is impossible to
please God (HEBREW 11:6). We must keep the faith to
receive the crown of righteousness at life's end (II
TIMOTHY 4:7,8). For that reason, the gospel is taught that
men and women might be led to the obedience of faith
(ROMANS 16:26).
Jesus approached the
tomb where Martha's brother's
body lay. Four days before he had died. But the One with
the keys to death and Hades was about to call Lazarus back
to this realm. Martha
would soon be reunited with her
brother.
A BALANCED APPROACH TO SERVING JESUS
"So they made Him
a supper there, and Martha was
serving but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the
table with Him." (JOHN 12:2). Here we find Martha serving
again. This time the purpose of the gathering is to have
supper. The end of Jesus' ministry is approaching, and it
seems as if both Mary and Martha are far more aware of the
fact than even the apostles. Mary anoints Jesus' feet with
costly perfume and weeps openly. Martha does the thing she
evidently knew the best. She fixes our Lord a dinner for
perhaps her last time. No complaint this time. The Lord is
about to go to the place from which He had called Lazarus.
But remember who we
are talking about. It is Jesus,
whom Martha had identified as the Christ, the Son of God.
Jesus had identified Himself as the resurrection and the
life. He had proven it by raising her brother from the
dead. He would prove it again on the third day following
His own death. He would live again!
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The Great Supper
(Luke 14:15-24)
By Randy Reynolds
_________________
THE GREAT
SUPPER
Luke 14:15-24,
"Now when one of those who sat at the
table with Him heard these things, he said to Him,
'Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!'
Then He said to him, 'A certain man gave a great supper
and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to
say to thosw who were invited, 'Come, for all things are
now ready.' But they all
with one accord began to make
excuses. The first said to
him, 'I have bought a piece of
ground, and I must go and see it.
I ask you to have me
excused.' And another
said, 'I have bought five yoke of
oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me
excused.' Still another
said, 'I have married a wife, and
therefore I cannot come.' So that servant came and
reported these things to his master. Then the master of
the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go our
quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring
in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the
blind.' And the servant
said, 'Master, it is done as you
commanded, and still there is room.' Then the master said
to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and
compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For
I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall
taste my supper.'"
Contained in Luke
14:15-24 is the account that is
commonly known as "The Great Supper." The basis of this
story is found in vs. 16, "A certain man gave a great
supper and invited many..."
Even though it is not
specifically stated, it would seem to me that it is
implied that those who were invited accepted the
invitation. At any rate we
are not told of any who
declined. In vs. 17 we
find that it is time for supper to
be served, so this certain man told his slave to approach
those who had been invited and tell them, "Come, for all
things are now ready." The servant did as he had been
commanded, but here's what he found: "But they all with
one accord began to make excuses" (vs. 18). The following
is a sampling of the kind of excuses that they offered.
The first excuse was,
"I have bought a piece of
ground, and I must go and see it" (vs. 18b). Even though
we are not told what the man intended to use this piece of
ground for, it is not often that one purchases a piece of
property sight unseen, but, I suppose it happens. If you
are thinking like I am thinking, this physical inspection
of property already purchased could have been delayed an
extra day or so.
He could have delayed and attended the banquet, yet it is
plain to me that he simply didn't desire to attend. Other
things were now more important!
The second excuse was, "I have bought five oxen, and
I am going to test them" (vs. 19). Once again the
purchaser has done something that is rather uncommon. He
has made a significant purchase sight unseen. He has
purchased five yoke (i.e. five pairs) of oxen. My mind
tells me that oxen, beasts of burden are not purchased to
be someone's pet. Rather
they are purchased to perform
certain duties and tasks.
They are animals that are used
for work. Were they still
strong enough to pull the wagon
or the plow? At this point
the man could not be certain.
Therefore, it seems reasonable to first inspect and try
these animals to see if they are still fit for the work
that you have planned, then purchase them. This man like
the first man had lost his desire to attend the banquet.
Other things were now more important!
The third excuse was,
"I have married a wife, and
therefore I cannot come" (vs. 20). Out of all of the
excuses offered thus far, this may be the more reasonable,
and for sure the more original of the three responses.
Some suggest that his could have been an appeal to the Old
Law (Cf. Deut. 24:5) that pictures a man at home with his
wife during the first year of their marriage. While
certainly this could have been possible, there is no
indication that it was. It
was still called an excuse,
and this excuse was just as transparent as the others. It
is obvious that this man, like the previous two now had
something that was more important! He had lost his desire
to attend the banquet!
The word excuse is
defined for us in The American
Heritage Dictionary as a word that means: 1. a. To
explain (a fault or an offense) in the hope of being
forgiven or understood. b.
To seek to remove the blame
from. 2. a. To grant pardon to; forgive. b. To make
allowance for, overlook.
3. To serve as justification
for. 4. To free, as from
obligation or duty, exempt. 5.
To give permission to leave; release. In our text in Luke
14:18, the Greek word paraiteomai which is translated
excuse means, to beg off, decline, shun. In short, I am
not coming, now here's why.
I am confident that it
takes a long time to properly
prepare a banquet. It is
said that such a banquet in the
Jewish culture was quite an event. An event of great
importance that normally took quite a while to prepare.
Thus, when the banquet had been prepared and the slave was
sent to bring in those who had previously accepted the
invitation, the master became upset because one by one
they asked to be excused.
But, the master was determined
that the banquet would take place in spite of those who
now refused to come. His
slave was sent to the poorer
sections of the city, to the poor, maimed, blind and lame,
(those also mentioned in vs. 13) asking them to come to
the banquet. The slave did
as the master had requested
and reported that there was still room for more. The
master then sent his slave outside the city where the
derelicts and the homeless could be found, instructing him
to compel them to come to the banquet. He must not take
no for an answer, the house must be filled. The slave
made the effort that the master had asked of him.
The account ends with a strong verdict
pronounced on
those who were first invited and who made their excuses.
They had squandered their opportunity, thus, none of them
would be able to taste of the supper that had been
prepared (Cf. vs. 24).
The story that Jesus tells is speaking of
the Jewish
nation as being those first invited to enter into the
kingdom. The New Testament
records for us that they were
the first invited. Not
only did John the baptizer and the
Lord give many years of their lives attempting to prepare
them for the coming of the kingdom, (Cf. Matt. 3:1; 4:17,
23; 10:6; 15:24) the Day of Pentecost (Cf. Acts 2:1ff)
maked the day when they were invited to enter. However,
even though thousands and multitudes of the Jews would
come to the Lord (Cf. Acts 2:41; 4:4, 32, etc.) as a
nation, they refused.
Thus, the invitation (as was also
according to prophecy, Cf Isaiah 2:1-2; 62:1-2; MIcah
4:1-2) was extended to others, those outside the nation of
Israel (i.e. the Gentiles).
They too would be compelled
to enter the kingdom. The
coming kingdom (church) and the
bringing in of the Gentile nation were still in the future
as Jesus spoke. It would
be somewhere around 37 A.D.
before the gospel message would be formally taken to the
Gentile Nation. In Acts
10:1ff we find that it would
begin with a Gentile man in Caesarea named Cornelius.
However, at this time the Jewish nation was being
compelled to make themselves ready for it's (i.e. kingdom)
arrival.
There are some
additional thoughts that are contained
in this story that are worthy of our consideration. They
surround the excuses that were made by those who refused
to come when beckoned.
Very simply stated, nothing is as
important as our faithfully serving the Lord. This would
include all of those things that
in this life that we
hold to be so near and dear
to us. But friends, whether
it be business, financial or family related, the Lord
Jesus Christ must find Himself "FIRST" in our
lives. The
message of the Lord in Matthew 6:33 is to "seek first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness." It is the Lord who
demands and I might quickly add, deserves preeminence.
This tells me that
when I prioritize things in my
life ahead of my service to the Lord that I have made a
mistake. Brethren, we not
only have an invitation to
worship God on Sunday mornings, that same invitation is
also extended on Sunday and Wednesday evening. Have you
attempted to excuse yourselves from that commitment? I can
assure you that your excuses are no weightier than those
that we have just considered.
That master rejected their
excuses just like he will reject ours.
You can do
better! I know that you can. Now is the
time for us to make some necessary changes in our lives so
that when our Master comes back, He will find us
faithfully waiting and watching for His return.
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The Final Page
______________
I wish to echo my co-editor's words by extending my
appreciation to all who have expressed interest in
Expository Files and have spread the word concerning our
endeavor. I had no idea that we would be getting responses
from as far away as Australia, or that we would be
demonstrated at the Florida College Lectures. It looks as
if we'll become a permanent part in the computer library
at the college for use by the Bible Students there.
It has been very easy to work with Warren Berkley. He
referred to me as "weird" in the introduction. I am sure
that the irony of that statement is not lost on those of
you who know Warren personally (sort of like one skunk
accusing another of smelling bad). He has energetically
pursued making Expository Files first a reality and then
making it successful. Though we live over one thousand
miles from one another, communication has been easy on
line and things have gone smoothly.
We hope you have gained something from this third issue.
Warren Berkley's
article sounds a much needed warning
in a world with so many different philosophies competing
with one another for your attention. Whether new age,
humanism, hedonism or cultism, the right answer is Christ.
Chris Reeves'
contribution dealing with the birth of
Jesus is certainly insightful. The different responses to
the same event by the owners of the inn, by the angels and
by the shepherds presents much food for thought.
With my article, I
tried to show how Jesus helped an
ordinary woman, pressed on all sides by the more mundane
aspects of life, to realize greater purpose, peace and
contentment. The most important aspects of this life have
to do with preparing us for the life to come.
Finally, Randy
Reynolds invites us to supper. God, at
great expense, has prepared for us a feast. What a tragedy
to spurn His invitation, to count all His preparations as
nothing and to busy ourselves with less important things.
As Randy says, "You can do better."
Until April, go with God.
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