Newsletter Vol.1, #47—November 13, 2005

Matthew 7 ³Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? ESV

William Arthur Ward wrote Twelve Guideposts for Living

that emphasizes the principle of going beyond what one is "supposed to do."

I will do more than belong-
I will participate.
   I will do more than believe-
I will practice.
   I will do more than care-
I will help.
   I will do more than be fair-
I will be kind.
   I will do more than forgive-
I will forget.
   I will do more than dream-
I will work.
   I will do more than teach-
I will inspire.
   I will do more than earn-
I will enrich.
   I will do more than give-
I will serve.
   I will do more than live-
I will grow.
   I will do more than be friendly-
I will be a friend.
   I will do more than be a citizen-
I will be a patriot.

Letters

In Vol.1, #41, October 2, 2005, we started some Letters to the Editor. We continue with the letters … ~ Note: you may access the Newsletter referred to by going to http://www.caprockcoc.org/

Dear TC: I've seen other dubious articles by Paul Apostle in the past, and frankly I'm surprised you felt that his recurrent criticisms of the Church deserved to be printed in your magazine. Mr. Apostle for many years now has had a penchant for thinking he has a right to "mark" certain Christian teachers who don't agree with his biblical position. Certainly I commend him for desiring to stay faithful to God's word, but I think he errs in being so dogmatic about his views to the point where he feels free to openly attack his brethren. His attitude makes it difficult to fully unify the Church, and gives credence to the opposition's view that Christians are judgmental, arrogant people who never show God's love. Ken Groener; San Diego, ca

A Covenant With His Eyes

He was nineteen years old and had just recently obeyed the gospel. There were still several issues he was diligently trying to work through, but his new zeal was strong enough, he thought.

When the preacher spoke on Matthew 5 last Sunday, however, he became a little discouraged. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery in his heart.”

His commitment to Christ a few months ago made the thought of committing fornication or adultery loathsome to him. He had even begun talking to his friends about their bad sexual habits. Now the Sermon on the Mount was staring him in the face and he realized that, in God’s eyes, he could be guilty of the sin without ever lifting a finger.

He listened to the rest of the preacher’s lesson, which touched on Paul’s admonition to ladies in 1 Timothy 2 to dress modestly. He heard some words from Proverbs 5, 6 and 7 and learned how dangerous an immoral woman can be to the heart and faith of a young man like him.

He left the meeting house a little worried that day and spent the afternoon on his couch with the Bible open before him to those passages he had noted from the sermon:

Matthew 5:27-30 ~ Looking at a woman to lust for her is tantamount to committing adultery in the heart. Extreme measures should be taken to avoid falling into this temptation.

1 Timothy 2:9 ~ Women should dress with modesty and a profession of godliness in mind. Publicly worn short skirts, shorts and dresses, and low cut blouses and modern bathing suits do not profess godliness but carnality.

Matthew 18:6-9 ~ There is great evil in becoming a stumbling block and those who dress immodestly in a public, mixed gender setting are showing blatant disregard for the souls of those of the opposite sex who see them and may fall into lust. Skimpy clothing is designed to catch attention and focus it on private parts of the body, which tend to inflame the senses.

Proverbs 5:15-20 ~ Married men should learn to be satisfied with their own wives and single people should control themselves until they enter a marriage covenant in which sexual needs can be fulfilled properly (Heb.13:4).

Proverbs 6:20-29 ~ An immoral person will flatter and allure through her charms, so that a vulnerable man will stumble.

Proverbs 7:6-27 ~ This temptation is so strong that many young men fall into it before they realize what is happening.

Proverbs 11:22 ~ “As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a lovely woman who lacks discretion.”

The young man began to think about the way he dressed and the way girls at his school dressed. He went to his dresser, found a few pairs of shorts that he realized could send the wrong signals, and disposed of them. But dealing with others’ dress would not be so simple.

As he walked across campus, he found himself averting his eyes from things that he used to delight in seeing. He repeated the words of Job like a mantra: “I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?”

It was not going to be easy, but the young Christian was devoted to overcoming his weakness and avoiding the temptation as best he could. He arrived at the meetinghouse for evening services and started for his pew when he began to notice something that had not impressed him before. The young ladies were almost universally dressed in modest skirts and dresses. Nothing so tight, so short, so sheer as he had seen outside. The few young ladies in short skirts looked wildly out of place and he actually pitied them as he resolutely averted his eyes from his own sisters in Christ.

JEFF S. SMITH

Evangelist, Woodmont church of Christ, Fort Worth, Texas

http://www.electronicgospel.org

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John 14:6 ~ Romans 16:16