SICK LIST: Buck Adams (Flowers Hospital), Cathy Gott, Mike Hicks, Luneal Russell, Monie Epperson, Debbie Martin, Thelma Greenwood, Bertha Johnson, Clarice Turk, Floyd Turk, Doris Yeoman, Crosher Whitehead, Mary Elmore, Alberta Roney, Lola King, Neva Johnson, Adam Knox, Phil Williams, and others. Refer to assembly for more.
SYMPATHY: Our
sympathy is expressed to the family of Grace Ingram Dean. She passed
away last week and was buried in the cemetery here at Enon.
How do you receive
this paper? If you receive the Enon Endeavor by mail (USPS) but also
have internet access, why not let us know – we can save a considerable
amount of money annually by removing the USPS copies from the mailing list
if the person has internet access. We are happy to send this to you,
and thankful that so many do seem to enjoy it; but if we can save a little
on the postage expense we can put it to use elsewhere. Let us know
(email is fine) and we will remove you from the USPS list. Thanks.
Tim Smith
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What Must I Do To Be Saved? Hear the Gospel (Romans 10:17), Believe the Gospel (Hebrews 11:6), Repent of Sins (Acts 2:38), Confess Faith In Christ (Acts 8:37), Be Baptized (Acts 22:16), and remain faithful, even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10). May we help you?
Whatever happened to hell???
Did you ever notice that there is no shortage of people talking about trees, swamps, animals, “gay” rights, abortion “rights” and the like, but few who are concerned (seemingly) about hell? When it comes to hell, people seem to find no time to be concerned. I am not against swamps, trees or animals (though I do not think anyone has a “right” to abort intentionally a pregnancy, and I do not believe in the principle of giving unrepentant sinners special protections so they may practice their perversion with a greater degree of openness). I believe we should be good stewards of the world given us by God to inhabit. But still, I find it astonishing that we have so many people who make such a fuss over what happens to trees and no fuss at all over what really matters the most. Jesus said, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Hell ought to cause some of us to be concerned! We know that the time of judgment for all men is coming, for of it we read, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). We know that the horrors of the place reserved for those who die in a lost condition are far greater than anything we have experienced in this world, and yet despite this knowledge many live as though there were no hell at all. Many would profit from listening to the Rich Man of Luke 16 and learning a lesson from his mistakes. He realized that there was no hope for him, but still he was concerned about what would come to his brethren: “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment ” (Luke 16:27-28). To think of hell and its repulsive population is horrible indeed! Consider the words of Paul, as he writes about those whose end will be eternal damnation in the lake of fire: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Romans 1:28-32). How horrible! Not only are the residents of hell wicked, but I suppose they are not very bright – they knew their deeds were wicked, and did them anyway. A view of hell’s inhabitants ought to serve to change the sinners mind about his course through life, so let us direct our attention to considering hell.
I. HELL IS A REAL PLACE!
Many have the mistaken idea that hell is not a real place. Some teach that it is just the state (condition) of missing heaven, that is, when one dies who is “lost”, he just ceases to exist. There is no basis in truth for this notion, it was started by those who left the truth in preference for their own error, and it has been (and is) propagated today by such as are likeminded. Some have reduced “hell” to a synonym of any suffering in life; that is, any time they have discomfort of any sort they speak of it as “living in hell”. This, too, is false. What is hell? As suggested by the heading to this section of our study, hell is a real place. It is a place of everlasting fire, for God said so: “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Where is the fire? It is in hell. As we noted above, it is a place into which both soul and body will be cast by the Lord (Matthew 10:28). It is described as a place of “torment” for ever and ever: “The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name” (Revelation 14:10-11). Despite the theological rumblings, hell is a real place, for God said so.
II. HELL IS FILLED WITH HORRIBLE SOULS.
It is filled with those who satisfy the lusts of the flesh: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). How would you like to spend 5 days locked in a room with such a bunch as that? Imagine, if you can, spending (?) eternity with them!
A. Notice that the first of those listed as the eternal residents of hell are the “fearful”.
Those who fear to stand and preach the word in life, choosing rather to compromise with error, will be in hell. A man who will not stand for his convictions (when those convictions are based on the word of God) will be in hell. I know preachers (?) who “tremble” at the thought of addressing controversial matters from the pulpit. They are afraid to preach the word because they might get fired if they did! I know of elders who wouldn’t allow their cowardice-filled preacher to preach the truth. (Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get all the fearful preachers together with all the fearful elders and let them see what they could accomplish? Maybe then preachers who are not fearful wouldn’t have to move so often…) It doesn’t matter what the reaction to the preached word is, not as concerns our duty to preach it. Consider Paul’s counsel to the young evangelist: “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (II Timothy 4:1-4). Not only was Timothy not allowed to compromise if matters might possibly have gotten difficult, he was assured that they would get difficult – and told that such was all the more reason to preach the word! But lest we be accused of picking on preachers, we note that many on the “other side of the pulpit” are guilty of fearfulness also. Some are afraid to live for the One Who died for them. They not only refuse to let their light shine, they do all they can to have a fashionable “bushel” under which to place it! They make plans they know will interfere with the scheduled and announced assemblies of the church, they frequent establishments which cater to the immoral, in short, they do whatever they want to do and whatever the world wants them to do with no apology to the Christ Who died for them. Why? Often merely because they “fear” being different, they “fear” ‘rocking the boat’. Hell is the eternal home of all such as practice this fearfulness.
B. Notice that the second category of hell’s residents herein listed are the “unbelieving”.
Many “religious-minded”
people today do not believe that the Bible is the Word of God. They
reject the notion that it is complete, even though Peter wrote: “According
as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life
and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory
and virtue” (II Peter 1:3). They feel quite safe in adding such things
to the Gospel as might make it appear more attractive to the world.
They reject the doctrine of plenary, verbal inspiration, despite what Paul
wrote: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works”
(II Timothy 3:16-17). They contend that we cannot really know if
the Bible we have even resembles the Bible of the First Century, if such
a Bible even existed then… Evidently some have forgotten that our
lives need to conform to the teachings of the Word because by that Word
we shall be judged: “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words,
hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall
judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). We must respect the Scriptures
for what they are: the word of God. No more of this “Well,
it (the Book of Acts, or whatever else one may please) wasn’t written until
the Second Century anyway, so it is filled with errors…” Find an
error and point it out. It cannot be done! We must believe
the Bible, or we shall be in hell in the end.
(That is all the space
we have for this week, we will continue in our next issue. Tim)
Tim Smith
1272 Enon Road Webb, AL 36376 (334)
899-8131
[email protected]
http://www.geocities.com/fp5699/ http://gradowith.listbot.com
http://Community-2.webtv.net/gradowith/
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GOSPEL MEETING
Let us remember
our annual GOSPEL MEETING. The dates are changed for this year to
accommodate the school schedule, the meeting is set for July 9-14, 2000.
Charles Box of Greenville, AL is scheduled to preach.