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          “What Will It Take To Get To Heaven?”

    Some think that once they have been baptized into Christ and

become a child of God, that is it.  They have done their part and

now it is up to God to do the rest.  This idea is completely at

odds with what God’s Word teaches.  Baptism is an essential

part of becoming a child of God and an essential part to being

saved.  One cannot be saved without coming in contact with the

life saving blood of Christ.  But simply because one is baptized

does not mean they have automatically punched their ticket to

heaven.  God expects us to live a life “FOR HIM.”  His Word

tells us that we must remain faithful “until death” if we are to

receive the crown of life (Revelation 2:10).  What does the word

“faithuful” mean?  According to Miriam Webster dictionary it

means: steadfast in affection or allegiance;  firm in adherence to

promises or in observance of duty;  given with strong assurance;

(especially notice this one) true to the facts, to a standard, or to

an original.   Our standard, our original is the God’s Word, we

must be true to His Word to be faithful and if we are we will receive

the promise of an eternal reward. The Word of God also says, “… he

who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22).   Let’s see

the meaning of this word “endure.”  It means: to undergo (as a

hardship) especially without giving in;  to regard with acceptance or

tolerance;  to continue in the same state; to remain firm under suffering

or misfortune without yielding though it is difficult.  The walk of

a faithful, enduring Christian is not an easy one.  It comes with many

of the same temptations and challenges that those in the world

face and maybe even more so, since Satan has lost his grip on us

and wants to get it back.  For us to endure and remain faithful we

must put our trust in God and in His Word, not in self and not in

others.  He is our true strength.  (Larry Tiffin)

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                         “I’m Okay, You’re Okay”

     Our society has programmed us to such a point that we don’t want to

say anything is wrong.  Just be tolerant of anything and everything.  That

is the idea of  “I’m okay, you’re okay”  And that type of thinking has even

entered the religious realm.  We might not come right out and say it that

way, but that may be what we are thinking.  “It doesn’t matter what one

believes as long as they are sincere.”  When Jesus physically walked this

earth,  I wonder if  He would have agreed with this statement?  If everyone

was and is “okay,” why did He even have to come to earth and die such a

horrible death?  Obviously, everyone is not okay, including us, “all have

sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23)

     If “I’m okay, you’re okay” is true, what difference does it make what

I believe?  The answer is simple, “it makes no difference!”  We’re all

headed for heaven of one kind or another.  One who believes in Mohammed

would be okay, one who believes that Jesus is not the Messiah would be

okay, one who doesn’t believe in anything would be okay.  Just common

sense tells us that cannot be true.  It makes a difference what we believe. 

Do you believe that is true?  As much as I would love nothing better than

for all to be on their way to heaven, for all to escape the tortures of hell.  

My Bible tells me there will be many who are not going to make it to

heaven.  I pray I am not one of those.  But not even all the “religious”

are going to make it.  Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord,

Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My

Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21).  That seems to indicate some are not

“now” okay, nor will they be okay. 

     There is truth and there is error, there is right and there is wrong.  We

must stand on the side of truth and right and at times that means telling

others that they are not okay.  It also means being honest with ourselves

we may not be okay.  If we are not pleasing God in our everyday lives,

we are not okay.  If we are not following His Word we are not okay.

We must be careful not to fall into Satan’s traps.

              Larry Tiffin, Minister Valley Church of Christ

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                       “Is Our Enthusiasm Lessening?”

     It seems so often that we start a new year off with excitement and

zeal.  Bible class attendance is up, worship attendance am and pm

is up.  But then after a couple of months it seems like those things

start to go back to normal or in many cases decline to lower than

what they were.  In Psalm 122, we read, “I rejoiced with those who

said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”  There seems to be

excitement there, anticipation.  Do we anticipate, look forward to

meeting together with our brothers and sisters in Christ?  When we

get to worship are we excited about the singing, God’s Word says that

we “speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing

and making music to the Lord in our hearts.”  Do we sing with that in

mind?  Are we excited about partaking of the Lord’s Supper each Lord’s

day or has it become just a “ritual”?  This is why many in the religious

world say they don’t take the Lord’s Supper every week.  Are we

giving them evidence that they are right by how we partake of it?

A good barometer on our love for the table is to ask ourselves, “if I

miss worship and miss the Lord’s Supper is it a big deal?”  How would

God answer that question?  Do you get excited about talking to God

in prayer?  Praying for those who are sick, thanking Him for all He

has done, is doing and will do for us?  Does it excite you to hear God’s

Word?  Do you love His Word enough to read, study and apply it every

day?  The Christian Standard Bible says this in Colossians 3:16, “Let

the message about the Messiah dwell (live) richly in you, teaching and

admonishing one another in all wisdom…”   And then in verse 23 of

that same chapter, we read, “Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically,

as something done for the Lord and not for men.”     

    I want us to be honest with ourselves, is our enthusiasm for the Lord

weakening?  If so, why?  And I want to encourage each of us, not to

allow that to happen.  Not to become laid back when it comes to our

serving the Lord.  But to put Him first in our lives.  May we have a zeal

that is contagious.  Enthusiasm is contagious.  God wants us to be

zealous, excited people when it comes to His Word and His work.                      

                      Larry Tiffin, Valley Church of Christ  

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             “Children Hear More Than We Think”

   In many churches today there is what is called “Children’s Church.”

The reasoning is that many of the little ones just cannot understand or

sit and pay attention to what is being done or said.  I guess I could

understand this if they were talking about infants or 2 and 3 year olds,

but some now going into “children’s church” are up to as old as 10.

   Is it possible that we don’t give these young children enough credit

for what they really do hear and understand, even though they may

not understand everything?  There are many of us as adults who can

sit in a worship service and not understand everything we hear.

    Children hear more than we think they do.  That is not always

good.  I remember when I was about 13 years old, maybe a little

older, babysitting two young boys of a neighbor.  They were probably

about 3 and 6.   When I told them they could not jump on the couch,

they lit into me with curse words I couldn’t believe.  I ask them

where they learned those words, their response, “mommy and daddy.”

Did Mom and Dad think that these little ones didn’t hear or didn’t

understand?  Maybe, but even if they did not understand all that

those words meant they knew how to repeat them.  Wouldn’t it be

great if these little minds were filled with God’s Word and singing

of the great songs in our song books?  What might come out of their

mouths then?  Could that be the reason for the advice in Deuteronomy

6 about talking to children and keeping God’s Word in front of them?

I think so.

   They hear, they see and understand more than we give them credit

for.  Listen to this email that came across my desk for example:

     “Sometimes we do not understand what we hear do we?  After a hardy

       rainstorm filled all the potholes in the streets and alleys, a young mother

       watched her two little boys playing in the puddles through the window.

       The older of the two, a 5 year old lad, grabbed his sibling by the back of

       his head and shoved his face into one of the water holes. (Brotherly love?

       LDT)

       As the boy recovered and stood laughing and dripping, the mother was

       running towards them in a panic.  ‘Why on earth did you do that to your

       little brother?”  she says as she shook the older boy’s shoulders in anger

       combined with relief.  ‘We were just playing ‘church’ mommy,” he said.

       “and I was just baptizing him…’in the name of the Father, the Son and

       in the hole-he-goes.’”

They did not understand it all, but they understood a lot.

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              "Why Do We Do What We Do?”

     Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in

Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that

we should walk in them.”  In Romans chapter 8 we are told that we

are to conform ourselves to the image of Christ.  We need to be

doing the will of God and striving in every way we can to please

Him.  But we must also think about the “why” we do something.

Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see

your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

   Do we do the good works we have been created for to glorify

God or to glorify self?  Do we need to be praised by men for our

good works or would we rather have the praise of God?  Some

want everything they do to be known, so that they might get a

pat on the back.  There is nothing wrong with a pat on the back.

I believe as Christians we should encourage one another in doing

good works.  But if my main purpose for doing God’s will is so

that I might get that pat on the back or praise of men, haven’t I

missed the whole point? 

     In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus spoke of those religious people

who did what they did to be seen of men and to get the praise

of their works for themselves.  Jesus said of these they have their

reward.  He said this in that same chapter: “..when you do a

charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right

hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be done in secret;

and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you

openly.”

     We want those in the world and in the church see us doing

what God would have us to do, but we don’t have to broad-

cast that we are doing the work of the Father.  He knows.

We want Him to get the glory.  We do what we do for Him,

not for our own glory!!

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                “Respect What Is Holy”

     Why do you think people use profanity?  Or tell dirty jokes?  Or

swear and curse?  At one time it might have been for the “shock

value.”  But not too much shocks anyone anymore.  Unfortunately,

this kind of language is becoming more and more acceptable.  Can

you remember a time when you would have never heard God’s name

used in vain on TV?  I’m sure you can. 

     Why do people use the names Jesus and God when they swear?

Do they try to show contempt for them?  I believe that may be true

in some cases, but not all.  Again it has just become so common in

so many circles.

     And we must not count out the fact that this kind of talking affects

those who have to listen to it.  How could one who is a Christian use

this type of language and then try to tell someone about having a

relationship with Christ?  But what is the cause of all this?  Where

does it originate?

    My belief is that it comes from a lack of respect for that which

is “HOLY!”  God’s name is holy and to be hallowed.  What does

that mean?  It means His name is to be set apart – there are many

verses in the Bible that teach this: Leviticus 20:3; Leviticus 22:31,32;

Psalm 30:4; Isaiah 29:34; Matthew 6:9,10, etc. 

     How can we respect what is holy, especially when dealing with

God’s name?  We must reverence His name continually.  I find it

very interesting and refreshing that many Jewish people won’t even speak

His name, or even spell it out completely,  they have such respect and

reverence for it.  What a far cry from what we often hear.  We can also

show respect for what is holy by the lives we live.  How we live says

something about Him.  The biggest hindrance for many becoming

Christians is the behavior and speech of other Christians.  This should

“NEVER” be the case.  We must show respect for what is holy in prayer

and in defending His name.  In a name there is reputation, character and

authority.  God’s name is holy and to be used seriously.    

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                    “Gossip”

   We teach our children in Bible classes and in Vacation Bible

School a song called, “Be Careful Little Eyes.”  The song has

one verse that says, “Be careful little lips what you say, be

careful little lips what you say, there’s a Father up above and

He’s looking down in love, so be careful little lips what you

say.”  Maybe we ought to sing that song every week.  Are we

telling our children do as I say and not as I do?  Did you know

the word “gossip” is not actually in the Bible?  Great, that let’s

us off the hook.  No, not quite.  The idea of a gossip is found in

Scripture, words like tattlers, talebearers, busybodies carry the

same idea as a gossip.

     What is gossip?  One dictionary defines it as, “Idle talk or

rumor, esp, about the personal or private affairs of others.” 

Ann Landers in one of her columns wrote the following:

“People of high intelligence talk about ideas.  People of average

intelligence talk about things.  People of no intelligence talk

about other people….”

     When our goal in telling something about someone is to tear

them down, that is gossip and that is sinful.  We need to “think”

before we speak.  I came across this acrostic using the word

“think” that is a good guideline of when to pass something on.

We need to ask the following:

Tis it True?

H – is it Helpful?

I – is it Inspirational?

N – is it Necessary?

K – is it Kind?

If we would ask these questions every time before we pass

some information on to someone else about someone else

seems to me there would be a lot less gossip.

     “Be careful little lips what you say…”

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“Homosexuality – Acceptable or Unacceptable?

     Let me say up front, I am not “homophobic.”  I love all

people, I want all people to be saved, I’m not going to be

unkind toward anyone, but sin is still sin and immorality is

still immorality.   I cannot compromise God’s Word.  But I

am concerned when our society tries to force this lifestyle

down my throat and calls me a hate-monger if I refuse to

accept it.  I have no choice, but to refuse this kind of lifestyle

because the Bible condemns it.  Society may make it sound

good, may make it sound like those who are gay have no

choice in the matter, but the bottom line is this:

                “What does God say about it?” 

God’s word says it is sin, just as so many other things are sin

and so if I am to be a faithful child of God I must agree with

God.

      Across my desk a couple of weeks ago came this headline:

“NEA (National Education Association) begins massive drive

to promote homosexuality in public schools.”  I was watching

a debate on this subject this past week with some candidates

running for president and the ones that I heard were for this

being taught in our public schools.  The NEA is pushing to

make sexual orientation training a requirement for earning a

license to teach. 

     The sad part of so much of this is that some churches are

now promoting this agenda as well.  That same sex marriages

are okay.  They openly accept the homosexual lifestyle.  But

simply because some churches are accepting it still does not

make it right in the sight of God.  A time is coming and I

believe the time is already here, when we are going to have

to make a choice of whose side we are going to stand on. 

Not just on this issue, more and more issues come up every

day, we must stand for the truth, no matter what we are called

or what is said about us.  Remember that Paul was said to be

a mad man when he spoke the truth to King Agrippa.  Too

often today many still think we are mad when we stand for

the truth of God’s Word, but we must continue to stand.

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                “It Looks Like Extra Innings”

     How many of you are really sports fans?  I mean it’s the top of the

9th and the home team is ahead by 10 runs?  Even the biggest fan starts

thinking about beating the traffic out of the parking lot.  But what if it’s

the 9th inning, the score is tied, this game will determine the outcome of

your team’s future.  If they win, they make the playoffs, if they lose,

they go home.  Not too many are going to get up and walk out on a game

like that.  You may have been sitting in that seat for 3 or 4 hours and

now it looks like it is going into extra innings and instead of saying,

“Oh, great extra innings” you think you are getting a bargain for the extra

excitement.  When one goes to a ball game, there is no air conditioning,

but that doesn’t seem to bother the true fan.  The seats are usually hard

and uncomfortable, but somehow a true fan manages to sit on that hard,

uncomfortable seat for as long as they have to.  A true fan cheers loudly

for their team, they stand up for their team.  A true fan sings out loudly

at the 7th inning stretch.  They are excited about the atmosphere of being

“at” the game.  Sure you could sit in the comfort of your own home and

get a close up of each pitch and each batter and reruns of the great plays,

but it’s just not the same, there is just something about being “at” the

game.

     I wish we could bring that same enthusiasm to our worship services. 

David said in Psalm 122:1, “I was GLAD when they said to me, ‘Let us

go into the house of the Lord.’”  Just as one might be considered a “true

fan,” would we be considered a “true worshipper.” How do we feel when

we come to worship?  Are we as excited about worship as we are about a

“game”?  Especially a game that is about to go into extra innings with a

lot on the line?  Let’s think about some comparisons for just a moment:

(1)    The building has air conditioning and heating, sure they may not

             always be just right for everyone, but it’s better than 100 outside

             or 50 outside.      

(2)    The seats at worship are usually padded and much more

comfortable than that ball game seat.  Yet how does it feel after

an hour or two?  What if the service went into “extra innings”

with a lot at stake?  (And by the way there is a whole lot more

at stake in our worship to God than there is at a ball game.)

(3)    We have songs of praise to sing, with words that teach and

admonish.

(4)    And what greater thing to get excited about than being on

God’s team and headed for heaven.

Yes, there are a lot of things we can learn from a baseball fan that

would help us be a true follower of God.  I believe David was

excited about the atmosphere in the house of the Lord, are we?

     We hear a lot about the “last days” today.  Maybe we are in the

extra innings of life.

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