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Matters
of Grave Concern
Arthur Barry
What does it feel like to come back to life
from the dead?
I don’t know.
What does it feel like to be dead?
I don’t know.
We tend to think about the act of dying, and it is
possible to imagine things like struggling for breath, chest pains, etc. But, what about after the dying is over and you are “good and
dead”? What is that like? Your lungs have breathed their last breath;
your heart has beaten its last beat; your brain has waved
its last wave. There is literally nothing left to do. Some would say, “Sweet!”
The Apostle Paul, however, when he was ready to leave this world, spoke of his
desire to go and be with the Lord (Philippians 1:21). In Verse 19 he has told
us of his confidence in the prayers of the faithful and the spirit of Christ to
get him through. Paul was never ashamed to ask for prayer (1 Thessalonians
5:25; 2 Thessalonians 3:1), but you won’t find him asking for prayer to keep him
from death. The spirit of Christ had already dealt with His death. Neither will
you find him praying for others, or encouraging anyone else to pray for, those
who have already died. When he referred to saints who had died he said they had
“fallen asleep” but when he referred to living souls who were not in Christ he
said they were “dead”. Where did he get
such ideas?
There were those who heard Jesus say that Lazarus was
only sleeping who must have chuckled at his naiveté. So much
for this popular teacher who had worked miracles. Did he not even know
the difference between death and sleep? Little did they know, however, that
this Jesus was about to perform his best miracle when he was among the dead
Himself.
I can imagine being blind or lame or deaf, so I can
imagine what it would be like to be healed from any such ailment, but Jesus
reserves his best work for those who are dead. Only those who are dead can
witness life from the dead. Peter tells us that it is by His spirit that Jesus
witnesses to the dead (1 Peter 3:18-19). Never forget that prayer helps in this
life, but the Spirit of Christ helps in this life as well as in death. Jesus
loves us whether or not our hearts are beating! When we lose someone to death,
the fact that their brainwaves have ceased does not kill our pain or suddenly
deactivate our love for them, does it? So we become connected with each other
in ways that are more than just biological. And because of this we grieve over
people who are still biologically functional yet dead in sin. And also, because
of this, we rejoice greatly over a sinner who repents, as do the angels in
Heaven. Maybe, then, I do know something of what it is to be dead and what it
is to come to life.
I wonder if those angels are still rejoicing over me.
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The 3rd Sunday Fellowship Meal will take place today at Dryden Lake Park.
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There will be a Gospel Meeting at Southside church of
Christ in Syracuse August 10-13. The speaker is Samuel T. Jones, who is the Vice President for Academics and Professor of
Sociology, Family Studies, and Bible at Freed-Hardeman University. He is also the Pulpit Minister for the Oak
Grove Church of Christ in Henderson, Tennessee. The Theme is Discovering
God’s answer To Life’s Key Questions.
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Marylou Johnson
sends her love form Anaheim, CA. She continues to enjoy studying the Bible and
is presently involved in a study about premillenialism
with someone that she met online.
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Adult Bible
Study Schedule:
Sunday AM…………………………. 1 Kings/ 1 Chronicles
Wednesday PM………………………Ezra / Nehemiah
If we put
off repentance another day, we have a day more to repent of, and a day less to
repent in.
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