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	Quotes & Things David Collins

Thoughts

Beliefs

I suppose each person has a right to their own beliefs but it does not necessarily follow that such a myriad of contradictory beliefs can all be true or that such divisions are acceptable to God. There is only ONE body of truth and ONE pattern of sound doctrine found in the Scriptures. To deny this is tantamount to accusing God of giving us a revelation of His will that nobody can understand. It is foolishness to assume from a diversity of beliefs that God’s will cannot be understood. Do you have your own beliefs? Can they be found in the Scriptures? Yet, if a diversity of beliefs proves that the Bible cannot be understood, how is it you are able to understand?! Is there such a thing as truth? Jesus said, ‘Thy [God] word is truth’ (John 17:17). Can we know the truth? Jesus said, ‘And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’ (John 8:32). Is it possible to understand the will of God? Paul says, ‘Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ’ (Ephesians 3:4). If our confidence has now been restored, we need to understand that religious division is condemned: ‘Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment’ (1 Corinthians 1:10). Yes, we have a right to believe what we want to believe, but what we believe may not be true and if we desire to be free, know the will of God, and be sure of our acceptance we will diligently search the Scriptures to discover the truth.

If your beliefs arouse negative feelings, a judgmental spirit, and discord among brethren, then you need to re-examine your beliefs.

Church

Consider for a moment the church to which you belong: is it the church of Christ? Are its teachings found in the Bible? Is its way of worship valid? If yes, then what if you established a NEW CONGREGATION in another area, would your church give you its blessing? Of course it would. But what if you established a NEW CHURCH with a different name, an entirely different way of worship, and doctrines that contradicted what your church teaches, would you still receive their blessing? Perhaps not! It is this scenario that has been multiplied many times. Jesus established His CHURCH in the first century and many thousands of NEW CONGREGATIONS have been established all over the world since. However, not being content with Christ’s church, men have established hundreds of NEW CHURCHES or RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS that contradict Jesus’ intention and stand in opposition to Christ’s church.

Hypocrisy

I have been a Christian for near on twenty five years and in this time I have known Christians who were liars, thieves, homosexuals, drunkards, etc. Yet such hypocrisy has never led me to deny that what Jesus teaches is untrue or invalid. If all who claim to be Christians are hypocrites and I am the only one who is sincere, then so be it. I will remain faithful to God until I draw my last breath. I cannot deny truth simply because others do not practice it.

When I was at school, I found that I was one of only a few boys that were actually interested in getting an education. We were a small minority that buckled down to hard work in the classroom and stayed up late to get our homework done. The other boys in my class seemed to spend most of their time horsing around and generally ‘having fun.’ Who were these pretenders? Why were these hypocrites allowed to continue coming to school? Well, despite these hypocrites, we remained at school, continued to work hard, graduated, and obtained good jobs with reasonable salaries. Likewise, despite the hypocrites, let us remain faithful to God and reap the reward of eternal life.

Worship

Are Christian congregations at liberty to invent their own forms and expressions of worship? To those who say ‘Yes’ I can only assume they are ignorant of the Scriptures or do not care to follow its teachings. Since the beginning of time, God has always given instructions as to the proper form and expression of worship. This is especially seen during the Mosaic Age: before Israel entered the Promised Land, God, through Moses, gave varied and detailed instructions on every aspect of their worship. Yes, it mattered how they worshipped God, and what happened when anyone deviated, even slightly, from the pattern? The punishment was severe indeed. Under the New Covenant, God has given specific instructions regarding how His church is to worship Him in an acceptable manner. However, in this day, men have mingled truth with error and ingrained it into the populace with such success that the concept of there being a divine, acceptable, pattern of worship is ridiculed. In fact, many deny there is any divine revelation on this subject!

Emotions

Our emotions are not like steps in a ladder, one does not follow the other, i.e., there is not a set order where, for example, covetousness leads to jealousy, jealousy to envy, etc. Rather, our emotions are like the instruments in an orchestra: depending on the piece that is to be played, the violins may be heard at first, followed by the accompaniment of the flute, and so on. Another piece may begin with Cellos, followed by the accompaniment of a piano. Thus, depending on the circumstances, we may hate someone because of some aspersion and, later, become jealous of their popularity, which may then develop into envy. On another occasion, we may be jealous of another’s wealth, become envious, and grow to hate them.

Teenage Years

The Call Of Wisdom

The transition from childhood to adulthood is often a difficult time for both the parents and the child. For some, the whole experience is nothing more than a light shower. While for others, it is like being out in a severe storm in the dead of night. Yet they need not be out in such weather, for Wisdom stands at the door of her house and calls, ‘My child, come here, take shelter under my roof. For I have made a fire, there are dry clothes, my furnishings are soft, and there is food and drink prepared for you.’ But, alas, there are so few that heed her voice.

The Demand For Freedom

As young people grow they develop a sense of independence. This is interpreted to mean ‘freedom to do what I want to do,’ and what they want to do is often sinful. As long as young people hold to this definition they will interpret restrictions as an attempt to deny them of their rightful freedom, and, therefore, they see their rebellion as being quite justified.

True Freedom

Are adults free to do what they please? Yes, but what happens to those who break the law? They are put in prison? Are they still free? No, their freedom has been taken away because they used their freedom irresponsibly. Young people who want independence and freedom must understand that freedom must be used responsibly. Independence is not a license to do evil. If you behave responsibly then you will be given freedom. If you act irresponsibly then your freedom will be taken away. If you behave like a responsible adult then you will be treated as an adult. If you behave irresponsibly then you must expect to be treated like a child.

Friend

A friend is one with whom we share a common disposition, attitudes, and interests. The greater these commonalties, the greater the friendship, and the greater our affection or love for the person. A ‘best friend’ is a person with whom we have the greatest commonalties, with whom we feel the greatest empathy and affection; one in whom we have total confidence, one with whom we company with frequently.

Hatred

1. What is a person feeling when they say they hate someone? This is difficult to determine because the causes of hatred are legion and the feelings produced vary considerably. Generally speaking, though, hatred is a feeling of intense dislike. We should not assume that malice accompanies hatred but it often does; either immediately or at a later time. 2. Both hatred and malice manifest themselves differently: i. one who hates someone may simply avoid social intercourse with them; ii. one whose hatred is accompanied by malice will often seek to injure the person in some way; either verbally or physically. 3. The degree to which hatred and malice manifest themselves largely depends on this disposition of the host. In some cases these manifestations will be altogether suppressed through a fear of retaliation or damaging one’s reputation.

What It Means To Love Your Neighbour

Seeing a person in need, one does not ask, 'Is he is a fellow Christian?' or 'Is he rich or poor?' or 'Is he worthy or unworthy?' or 'Is he friend or foe? One simply asks, 'Do I have the ability to help?', and this alone determines whether one acts.

Love

From the spring of love flows the sweet tasting water of joy, quenching the bitterness of despair and hopelessness.

What shall we say of those who are charitable toward their brethren and mean toward their kin? At the least we might say they are inconsistent and at worst hypocritical. But to unbelievers they are both and blaspheme religion on that account.

Jesus

Jesus has a character of steel and velvet, the true marks of a meek man.

Pride

I asked my son if he would help me carry the shopping bags to the car, he refused. ‘I understand,’ I said, ‘they’re too heavy for a boy to carry. I’ll just wait here and ask the next man who passes to help.’ At sixteen, my son no longer thought of himself as a boy anymore but as a man, and my comment had bruised his ego. Guess who helped me carry the shopping to the car?

Pride is the greatest of all sins and the parent of every transgression. It is a disease from which neither Satan, angels, nor man has ever recovered.

Have you ever stood on the shore on a stormy day and seen the sea suddenly swell, a great wave rising as high as an apartment block? This is what takes place in the mind when a person succumbs to some temptation of the devil: a great swelling of the ego.

Responsibility

Responsible people are people who act responsibly.

Character

Every attitude, every word, and every deed is the result of the way we think.

A person’s thoughts are made known by their words and deeds.

Love, obedience, holiness, teaching, prayer, and study ought to be the characteristics of every Christian. In fact, I would ask, ‘Is it possible to hold to the claim of being a Christian without such?

Covetousness

A spark of greed will grow into a consuming fire, forever burning but never satisfied (Proverbs 27:20). Extinguish the spark and you will be content, and your eyes will opened, at last you will see those around in need. Then comes a spark of compassion, a flame of generosity, and you shall be consumed with the joy of giving (Proverbs 11:25).

The waters of contentment have extinguished the flame of desire that once burned so brightly.

Sin

Sin is not something you inherit it is something you do.

Sin is not something we do under compulsion; it is a choice we make.

Sober

A sober person is one who life is governed by sound reason rather than passions. Such a one has all desires and passions under strict control.

Marriage And Divorce

Those who view marriage like a completed task on a things-to-do list will, more than likely, have a disappointing marriage that ends in divorce. Marriage is not a ‘task’ that is completed after the vicar says, ‘I now pronounce you man and wife,’ it is the beginning of a ‘building project’ that continues for the rest of your life.

Even in the happiest of marriages there is room for improvement.

The devastating effects of divorce on a family as a result of a partner’s infidelity are painful enough, but how much more so when a separation is necessary because a couple discover their marriage is unscriptural.

Getting To The Root Of The Problem

A friend of mine returned home from work one day and noticed a crack in his wall. He ignored it. Ā few weeks later he noticed that several other cracks had appeared. Ā surveyor told him that his foundation needed underpinning but he ignored this advice and, instead, hired a builder to fill in the cracks. But far from solving the problem, things got progressively worse: not only did the recently filled in cracks widen but new cracks appeared on the outside and inside of the house. One night, while he and wife slept, their bedroom ceiling collapsed. Finally, he took the advice of the surveyor and had the necessary work done on the foundation of the house. Ā recent surveyors report has now declared the house free of any structural problems and safe to live in.

Evangelism

The responsibility of a local church is to sow the seed. The church should select men and women who are capable of teaching and expounding the truths of the gospel and send them into vineyard of the Lord. The workers must not be selective, the seed must be scattered everywhere, and all men must be given the opportunity to receive the word of God. The responsibility of the sower is to ensure that the seed he sows is pure and unadulterated. Whether the seed germinates, grows, buds, and brings forth fruit is dependant upon the Lord

Those who keep the word imprisoned in their heart have learnt nothing.

If you have believed the gospel, turned from your sin, and been immersed into Christ, then rejoice that God has saved you by His grace from eternal death; which is the due wage of sin in which you formerly walked. If you continue in this faith and persevere in obedience, then you may know that you have eternal life. Yet should your heart become hardened and you walk again in disobedience, then you shall not enter his rest; for the Lord has no pleasure in those who shrink back.

Speech

How do we communicate thoughts and ideas except through words? If we are to communicate effectively then it is essential that we choose the correct words and articulate each word clearly.

Bible Study

I went to a friend’s house for dinner. During the course of conversation he spoke to me of his passion for gardening. Later, I had the opportunity to walk round his garden and two things surprised me: first, the garden itself was obviously unkept; secondly, I observed that there were no garden tools in the shed. I suspect his passion was merely intellectual rather than practical. Likewise, many exhibit a passion for the scriptures in their words, yet their bible sits on the shelf gathering dust, and there is a conspicuous absence of bible study aids.

Preaching

Make sure you preach more expository sermons than topical sermons because they are more beneficial for the preacher and the audience.

In 1984, I placed my membership with a congregation of 42 members. During the first three months, I learned that several of the members were not inclined to study the bible and relied wholly on topical sermons for their edification and spiritual growth. When I began to share the burden of preaching, one or other of these brethren would always approach me to voice their disagreement with my teaching. For such who do not study, I was surprised at the strength of their conviction! I do not consider it wise to discuss the sacred scriptures with those who excuse themselves from the study of God’s word and whose convictions are based solely upon proof-text sermons. These brethren have no real desire to learn but only to promote their own proof-text beliefs. If you find yourself in a similar situation, I would advise you to say, “I can see you are acquainted with the subject, so if you send me your study notes, I will carefully consider what you have to say and reply to you.” To date, I have not had anyone send me their notes.

Righteousness

I have observed three kinds of righteousness: True Righteousness, Self-Righteousness, and Pseudo Self-Righteousness:

Righteousness. A righteous person is one who seeks to conform to the Law of God, outwardly and inwardly, but recognizes his inability to do so. This person has a deep sense of unworthiness and constantly seeks the mercy and forgiveness of God. Such a person's walk is marked by humility.

Self- Righteousness. A self-righteous person is one who is confident that he is righteous because he outwardly conforms to the commandments of the Law. Such a person is likely to become proud and despise others whom he judges to fall short of being righteous. This person errs because he supposes that only outward conformity to the Law is necessary to be counted as righteous. 

Pseudo Self-Righteousness. A pseudo self-righteous person is one who knows he is not righteous but behaves as though he is. Such a person experiences the same sense of pride and the same disdain for others as one who is self-righteous. This person is not erring; he is a pretender and a hypocrite.