Topic(s): Speech, Teens, Tongue, Youth

Everybody should learn lessons from young people. Paul told the young preacher Timothy to be an “example of the believers in conversation” (1 Timothy 4:12) so that others could be better Christians because of Timothy’s example. The word conversation means “conduct” or, “way of life.” Samuel was an example of the believers in conversion, even when he was young. Samuel was so faithful to the Word of God when he was young that God could visit Samuel at any moment, and Samuel wasn’t embarrassed that God showed up. Samuel was always doing just what God wanted him to do, so when God came to visit Samuel in 1 Samuel 3, Samuel was not “caught” doing something wrong.

As far as we know, when God visited Samuel, Samuel never had to blush and say something like “God, why did you have to come and see me now? You caught me at a bad time!” What if God unexpectedly showed up at
your house? Would you be glad to see the Creator because you are living your life according to His will, or would you be embarrassed?

Would God be pleased if he caught you off guard while you were joking around with your friends, or would you have to say something like, “Dear God, I know I shouldn’t have been laughing at that kind of a joke (Tit. 2:8, Jas. 3:2, Col. 4:6), but I didn’t expect You to show up!”

If God visited you while you were going into the movie theater on a Saturday, would he be pleased that you were going to watch a wholesome film that would not hinder you from thinking on pure things (Philippians 4:8, Psalm 24:4, 2 Timothy 2:22), or would you be forced to apologetically exclaim, “Lord, I knew that I shouldn’t be going to see that movie, but you just caught me at a bad time. Please come back tomorrow morning and watch me worship you!”

How about school? Are you ready for God to visit you at test time when you could easily look over the shoulder of your classmate to cheat (Luke 8:15, Acts 6:3, Romans 12:17)? Are you ready for God to visit you when your teacher tells the class that evolution is historically factual and asks if the class has any questions (Genesis 1:1, Psalm 19:1, Romans 1:18-20)?

The reality is that God knows our conduct (Luke 6:8, John 2:25, Psalm 139) and is quite aware of what we do, though He doesn’t choose to talk to men face-to-face today. If we are to be examples of the believers, we’ll follow Samuel’s example of conduct.

—Caleb Colley
 

“I Am the Appendix”

Topic(s): Attitude, Worship

In 1 Corinthians 12, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to compare the church with our physical bodies. Of course, this is not the only place where this comparison is made. A similar word picture is presented in Romans 12 as well. There are also those passages where Christ is referred to as the head of the body (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18).

However, it is in 1 Corinthians 12 that we find actual parts of the human body compared to the body of Christ. In some instances only the part itself is named (foot, hand, eye). In one instance only the function is mentioned (smelling). The ear gets “double billing.” It and its function are both mentioned (12:16-17).

It is interesting to me that the appendix is not mentioned anywhere in this discussion. No member of the body of Christ is depicted as saying, “I am the appendix.” What makes this interesting is that there are those who today seem to be the appendix of the body of Christ. Not only do they seem to function this way, they seem content to do so. Consider the following similarities:

As far as I am able to determine, medical science has yet to find out any purpose for the appendix. Could not the same be said for some who at least profess to be Christians? Opportunities for service are provided and announced. Often an urgent plea is made for a particular work. Despite all of that, some seem to use a familiar hymn as their slogan: I Shall Not be Moved.

The appendix can be removed from the human body and the body can continue to function just as well without it. Each Christian would do well to ask himself/herself this question: “Other than the fact that I would not be counted as ‘present’ at a worship assembly, would the cause of Christ or my local church miss me if I was not around?”

Usually, we are not even aware of the appendix until it “flares up.” Some members of the church are never heard from until and unless they have a complaint. Then, and only then, the rest of us hear plenty from them. Like the appendix, they can cause discomfort to the entire body. I don’t believe this is what the Holy Spirit had in mind when He inspired Paul to write, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it...” (1 Cor. 12:26).

In extreme cases, a diseased appendix can actually cause death. Many of us are aware of congregations that were at one time vibrant, sound, and growing. In the local community and even beyond their immediate area, they functioned as “...the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). In the language used to describe the seven churches being discussed in Revelation 2-3, they were also functioning as a candlestick or lamp stand. They made their communities and the world a better place as they illuminated an environment that is darkened by sin and error.

Sadly, we can now drive by the locations where these brothers and sisters once met to worship and find either an empty building or a vacant lot. Nobody is being born of the water and the Spirit there any longer (cf. Jn. 3:5). There are no little children singing Jesus Loves Me in those classrooms anymore. Nobody is enjoying the support and encouragement they used to receive as a part of this body.

What happened? In many cases the “autopsy” of a congregation will show that the trouble began when an “appendix” flared up and infected the entire body.
Take time to read I Corinthians 12. Then ask yourself the following question: “Am I the eye, the ear, the hand, the foot, the ear, the nose, or the appendix?”

—Jim Faughn
 

Create a Thirst

Topic(s): Patience

A young salesman was disappointed about losing a big sale. He lamented with his sales manager: “I guess it just proves you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” The manager replied, “Son, take my advice; your job is not to make him drink. Your job is to make him thirsty.” So it is with evangelism (cf. Mt. 5:13). Let’s so fill our lives with Christ that they create a thirst for the Gospel!