Topic(s): Wisdom

In 1944, long after the time of the old-time traveling medicine show, history’s greatest elixir huckster rode into town. On his Louisiana farm, Dudley Le Blanc stirred up a swampy-smelling mixture of “vitamins and minerals” in a base of 12% alcohol. He called his brew “Hadacol.” With hoopla small town radio stations advertised it as a cure-all “tonic” for nervousness, indigestion, loss of appetite, insomnia, etc. Within a few years Hadacol became the best-selling patent medicine of all time with sales of $24 million a year.

Le Blanc was not the last of the medicine show salesmen. His tribe has increased and lives on in the religious hucksters of television and radio who promote home-remedy religion as the cure-all for whatever problems afflict you. “Only believe” is the name of the brew which promises health and wealth. Forgotten are the apostolic reminders that this life must bring suffering—even to the Christian (Romans 8:16-23). Forgotten also, in this stay-at-home-remedy, is the scriptural plan for involvement in a local congregation under the oversight of older Christian men who are charged with watching after souls (Acts 14:21-23; 1 Peter 5:51-3). Don’t buy “snake oil.”

Giving Quips

Topic(s): Christian Life, Priorities

• Two marks of a real Christian: Giving and Forgiving.
• It’s not what you’d do with a million if riches should be your lot; But what are you doing now with the dollar and the quarter you’ve got?
• Some folks think it is a recession when they can’t afford a new car to tow their new boat to their new cottage on the lake.
• A half-hearted Christian cannot render wholehearted service or make big-hearted sacrifices.
• You can’t take your money with you but you can send it on ahead.
• We lay up treasure in Heaven by laying down our treasure on earth.
• It is easy to lose interest in the church when you have so little invested in it.
• The most sensitive nerve in the human body is the one leading to the pocketbook.

“Render...unto God the things which be God's” —Luke 20:25

The Meeting is Over, Now What?

Topic(s): Christian Life, Evangelism

The lessons have been preached, the songs sung, the prayers prayed, the responses recorded, the attendance reported, the visitors greeted, the meals eaten, and the meeting closed. What should we do now?

Continue in the Things Which Thou Hast Learned

(2 Tim.\othy 3:14). The lessons presented were Scriptural and therefore demand our hearing and heeding (James 1:22). In order to avoid being hypocritical, we must first live what we learn (Matthew 7:3-5). Let us look back over our notes or listen again to the tapes and meditate upon the truths presented. Each person will be able to find areas in which improvement can be made. Lived lessons last longer.

Visit the Visitors

We should follow up with those who visited, expressing our gratitude for them taking time to be with us. As opportunities present themselves with non-Christian friends, we should ask if there are questions about how the services were conducted or about what the preacher said. If they had not previously been familiar with the Lord’s church, they will no doubt be curious about why mechanical music was not used, why no contributions were taken on weeknights, and other questions. This is a good time to set up a study and explain how God expects to be worshipped (John 4:24; Colossians 3:17) and how one may become one of His children (Galatians 3:26,27). This may be a good time to invite them to enroll in a Bible class, especially if they have children. About eighty percent of those who become Christians first enroll in a Bible class. “He that winneth souls is wise …” (Proverbs 11:30).

Be Not Weary in Well Doing

(Galatians 6:9). Even though a great deal of effort went into the Gospel Meeting, we must be careful not to let our guard down since it is over. The devil certainly takes no days off (1 Peter 5:8). Let us rekindle our zeal and redouble our efforts to be faithful in life, attendance, and attitude. As opportunities allow, attend area congregation’s meetings where sound preaching is found. This is one way to show appreciation for their support of our meeting.—Allen Webster

Blessings Beneath Burdens

Topic(s): Blessings

A wise king ruled over a people who always expected others to do for them. To teach his subjects an important lesson, he put a large boulder in the narrowest part of the road with steep banks on either side.

First a farmer came by with his cart. He grumbled because someone had left a large stone in the road which caused him great difficulty; painstakingly he skirted the stone but did not remove it.

Such occurrences went on repeatedly, day after day. The stone, however, remained where it was and nobody attempted to move it.

Finally, the king called for a meeting of his townspeople at the site of the stone. The king himself moved the stone over with some difficulty, and then picked up something beneath it. It was a pouch that he opened; from it he took several pieces of gold and a note which read: “To him who moved the stone.”

God puts some of His best blessings beneath life’s difficulties.

“...the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold…” —1 Peter 1:7