The Ohio Independent Baptist, November 1970

' ' ..But tl1ank /,e to God, lvl1ic/1 givet/1 i,s tl1e victorv tl1roit 0 11 ot,r Lore! Jest,s C/1risr." I Corint/1ians 15: 57 · "[n ever)' t/1ing give t/1anks. .. " I T/1essalonians 5: 18 "Do all t/1i11gs 1vit/1oz1t 111itr111urings . . . 11 P/1ilippians 2: 14 Thi i the season of Thank giving. Strange that we have to be reminded of thi most neces ary characteri tic. \\ 'e live in a world which i charac– erized b)' complaining. As ) 'OU look at the texts above, rom a human and reasonable tand– .>oint they really do not make sen e. Jur thankfulness toda)' is u ually Jased entirely upon our circt1m tance . When circumstances are good we are 1appy and thankful. When circum– ,tances are bad. we are unhappy...._ The Apostle Paul had suffered nuch. He had been separated from oved ones; sickne s had overtaken 1im; he had uffered persecution and mprisonment. Almost anything that ould happen to an individual had 1appened to Paul. Yet Paul, by the -Iol}' Spirit, was one that po sessed lerpetual thanksgiving. He actually >raised God through every condition nd situation from the time he wa a\ 1 ed on the Damascus Road until 1is death. Look at our text-"alway .,. What does it take to be a perpetual i,,er of thanks? That can be an wered ery simply from the Word of God. t takes acceptance of Christ as Savior nd Lord without any reservations. Phil. 3: 10, 11) . John 3:36 ays., "He hat believeth on the Son hath ever- 1 ting Jife." This ver e does not say believe about' ' or ''believe like", but Hbelieve on". Chri t Him elf i the One that ave u . Matt. 11 : 28 ay , 'Con1e unto me a11 ye that labor and are heavy laden and 1 will give you re t." Matthew I 6: 24 say , . . . "let him deny him elf and take up hi cro, s and follow me." \Ve are not to follow others, but only follo\.v Chri t. What wa the spirit of Paul in Thank giving? In our brief space it i difficult to ' 'cram,. in all that i known about Paul from the Word of God. Now we n1ust state fact a facts. Paul wa human, o are we. We are no more hun1an than he wa . If Christ could do these thing for Paul, then He can do them for t1s. Anyone can praise God if thing go the way they want them, but Patil prai ed God regardless of how they went. Paul praised God when per ecuted. Read II Cor. 4:8, 9. The beatitude in Matthew 5: l 0, 11 have this ame admonition. Patil prai ed God when hi life wa endangered. God i 1nan' greatest defense again t any enemy. "Safety i of the Lord." Patil prai ed God when he v. a hungry. Why could he do this? Becat1se he knew His God would t1ppl y. Paul cot11J praise God when afflicted. Few of tis can do thi . Our outward 1nanife tation is Lt tially complaining. Paul could prai e Goel when friend forsook him. sa:lm @f m a:nksgiuiug (Psalm One Hundred) !... et till t/1 e 11at10 11\' 111c1ke a jov/11/ S<J1t 11cl, A11<I serve tl1e L (1rcl ancl l1 rJrs/1ip lli111 ivit/1 Rlc1cl11e:~s. L ~, everv 11101 ta/ crJ111e c1n<l it1 llis !101,se be fu1,11<I ., 1"<; .,i,1g lfis pr<11se ivi t/10,,r tl r1o te of sacltzess. L et <111 111e11 k 11uu, Je/1ovt1!1 a\ 1/1eir G{Jcl, 1'/, e gret1t C·, et1t<Jr u,J,r, t1/011e /1as 111c1(/e 11s; Jf' e l1t1ve 11<,t /<1r111e<I, el <1li et! <J1t1 \elves /rr,111 \c>tl, A\' 1111/Jelievi11g pricle 1vo11l<I feig11 ,,ers11t1tle it .\. li' e ,,re Jl is 1,e,11Jle, /Jor,1 l<J !,less I/is t1111 e, llit.· c.;l1<1\e11 /lo k·, i,1 11le<1sa,1t 1;ast11res livi11g; o,11e, let 11s seek JI is l '011rts t111cl tl, ere 1,ror lt1i111 I Ii ,vorrl,)• /Jrai\e i1:1 1vc>rs/1 i /Jf 11 l rl,a,,k,\gi, i 11~. 1 l1e 1 ortl is goorl: H l1r1I 111ore ct111 /{111g 11c1~e .,a)•? 1-J i · 111erc,1 liar ,10 e11cl or li,11i1r11i,J11 ; If i6 tr1,1l1 i ,,re, c11,d 1 •ill 1101 /Ja a,i a) 1, JJ,,t /10/fl 1,11til tl1e fi11r1l g e11 rr1tif111 . 1 .1 I /1 I 10 1t!/1111(} •••\(If) • -tE OHIO NDEP ND NT BAPTIST ' ' by Rev. Wm. A . Brock Paul prai ed God becau e he was privileged to ee the fruit of hi labor. Some \\'ere aved, believer \.\ ere built up in the faith, local churche were establi hed. Paul rejoiced becau e of his rich experience . Do you knoVv \\ here the n10 t thrilling and remark– able experience are found? They are found in a life wholly and completel 1· dedicated to Chri t. The di ciple of Chri t were electrified in their ex– perience with Chri t. God ha not changed one particle in thi modern day and age. Someone ha ~ritten, ' 'Put God in yot1r program and get a thrill.'' Paul could prai e God when faced with the mo t gha tl)' of ex– perience . One of our texts i found in I C or. 15. Thi chapter peak of death and the grave. Many people to– day try to laugh off the gra, 1 e. Death i a seriou matter. But Patil could face death with thank giving. Wh)? Because he kne\.\ Chri t. The only ,, a 1 to face death - i "in Chri t .·· Our text in 1 The . 5 peak of the perpetual thank giving of a hri - tian life . Even today, thi i 0111e'A hat of an oddity. Believer. have becon1e or re111ained o 111uch like the '" orld lhat even ot1r con1plaining ho\, ot1r \\ orldl ine, . The e \.\ ord 1n I The . 5 for1n the la\ t of a erie ' of imp rtant precept and con1n1and . Perpettia l jO)' . J)rai e, pra) er and thank gi, 1ng are not nece . ar1I, act~. bt1t a tale of . the heart. Of cot1r e. thi doc\ not re1110, e (f1ff1ct1lt1c . Ho,, c·1n the e co111n1,1nd in I Tl1e . 5 l)e ohe~ cc.i'> \\' 11, do \\ c 11ot trt1 t God' ':)LJff1c1enc, to thank. Hin1 in c,cr\ a1ca anll c11ct1111~t,111ce o t 1 i fc '? \Veil. ,1t cour,c. te111pe1~\111ent ~111 I ClIClllll l~lt1Cl ~ pie t. lll .l li1tt1ctrlt\ . <;()lllC da, .... ,lIC CJ\\. \l)l11C ~trt' hatli. f3ut thele arl' t,,c> '-l)tll~L .... ut Lltttictllt, ., ,vt1icl1 '-il.'.C111 t) l)e I)tC,l:11t . I u t is ot1r k.tlll\\ lectg\,; of lil •. l'his ts l ' ol)s 'f\ ,llltln a11LI 1l1is Htt ~ l1,i:ut1ragc- 111 111. S 011Lll) is our t111b01tc, 111g lis– t rust f 1 > I. ' '' e ar ·1irai'-l to re '->g- 11iz , >t.l 's Jlrtstllll \ r ,,lier c\ 11 i11 tl1 trifling "' irl..u11,stan t: • \\ 7 h 11 , , ll t.l sire t 11 ha11tl f 1, d, \ ar at raid t > trtt t l-l i111 l rf =- ti \\ e realI ,, 11t ot1r o,, 11 \ il l. l l1c: a 11 ,, r t ) I r 1 ett1nl tl1anks- gi, ing 1 >llnll in 1 tl d r , cal t' I 111 (Co r1tinued 01 Page 7) NOV MBER, 1970 s I l I I