Tag: Christ

THE DRAWING POWER OF THE CROSS

Published on by sgf1964Leave a comment

By

Shelby G. Floyd

“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” by Issac Watts was one of the most beautiful hymns ever written. He is one of the best-known and best loved of the British hymn writers. He wrote about 600 hymns in his lifetime. Charles Wesley, who also wrote many hymns, said that he would gladly have exchanged all of his hymns for that one hymn written by Isaac Watts. Watts hymn is based upon Galatians 6:14 where the apostle Paul said, “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

GLORYING IN THE CROSS

The cross of Christ is the center of the gospel story. Wherever the apostles and preachers went in the early days of the church, the central theme of their message was the death of Christ upon the cross of Calvary. For instance, Paul worked with the Corinthians a year and a half. Later he wrote a letter to them and said, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:1-2). This meant that “Christ crucified” was the burden of his message. He did not preach the Grecian philosophy or the Roman wisdom of the poets and philosophers. He said his message was Jesus Christ and him crucified.

In the first chapter of the same letter he said, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect” (1 Corinthians 1:17). He said the cross of Christ was a stumbling block to the Jews, and the Greeks looked upon it as foolishness. He added, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

CHRIST ANTICIPATED HIS DEATH

Jesus Christ anticipated his own death. There have been other men who have anticipated their deaths, but not each detail of how and when they would die. The Lord did. In John 3 Jesus had an interview with Nicodemus. When we talk about this interview, we usually talk about the new birth. Many probably do not realize the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus about the new birth also included the statement, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: that whosoever believe it in him should not periods, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believe it in him should not perish, but have everlasting life: for God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:14-17). This is a part of the interview with Nicodemus. Continue reading “THE DRAWING POWER OF THE CROSS” →

Growing the Church

Published on by sgf1964Leave a comment

By

Shelby G. Floyd

If the church is to increase and grow, we must all get involved in the law of the seedtime and harvest. Solomon taught that to expect a har­vest we must get up early in the morning and sow the seed and not wait till the evening of life: Sow your seed in the morning and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well (Ecclesiastes 11:6).

In some parables that Jesus taught, God is pic­tured as the owner of a huge farm with an abundant har­vest. But the harvest may be lost be­cause of few workers. Jesus said, “The harvest is truly plenteous, but the laborers are few (Matthew 9:37).

God can do whatever pleases him (Psalms 115:3), but it does not please him to circumvent his own plan to save man. Paul outlined God’s plan in his letter to the Ro­mans:

For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our report?” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Rom. 10:13-17, NKJV).

From this scripture we learn several facts about our task of proclaiming the gospel message:

  1. God saves those who call on the Lord.
  2. Men cannot call on someone they do not believe in.
  3. They cannot believe in one of whom they have not heard.
  4. They cannot hear unless someone preaches the word to them.

Someone must send and someone must go to sow the seed:

The lack of growth is and always has been a lack of workers. Unless we all get involved in making disciples, no one will go. Like the apostle Paul said, “the love of God compels me,” to carry our own load and go forth to do good works.

Copyright © 2024 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved

Shelby G. Floyd, Minister, Heartland Church of Christ, 1693 West Main Street, Greenwood, Indiana 46142

 

 

 

 

CHRIST, THE ETERNAL WORD

Published on by sgf1964Leave a comment

By

Shelby G. Floyd

The book of 1 John was written about 85-90 A. D., at a time when false teachers were denying that Christ was divine and also that he had a fleshly body. John refutes both of these false ideas. There are some today who are still teaching these same false doctrines. Continue reading “CHRIST, THE ETERNAL WORD” →

IF JESUS CAME TO YOUR HOUSE

Published on by sgf1964Leave a comment

By

Shelby G. Floyd

When Jesus lived on the earth he visited the homes of many people. Some of these people treated Jesus with kindness and hospitality while others treated him with contempt and disgrace. If Jesus were to visit your home, how would you react, and how would you receive him?

The following words by Lois Blanchard Sades entitled, “If Jesus Came to Your House” might well illustrate the predicament that many people would find themselves.

IF JESUS CAME TO YOUR HOUSE

If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two –
If he came unexpectedly, I wonder what you’d do.

Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room to such and honored Guest
And all the food you’d serve to Him would be the very best;

And you would keep assuring Him you’re glad to have Him there –
That servicing Him in your home is joy beyond compare.

But, when you saw Him coming, would you meet him at the door
With arms outstretched in welcome to your heavenly visitor?

Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in,
Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they’ve been?

Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn’t heard,
And wish you hadn’t uttered that last, loud, hasty word?

Would you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books out?
Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about?

And I wonder, if the Savior spent a day or two with you,
Would you go right on doing the things you always do?

Would you go right on saying the things you always say?
Would life for you continue as it does from day to day?

Would your family conversation keep up its usual pace?
And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace?

Would you sing the songs you always sing, and read the books you read?
And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed?

Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you’d planned to go?
Or would you maybe change your plans for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have him meet your very closest friends,
Or would you hope they’d stay away until His visit ends?

Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on,
Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?

It might be interesting to know the things that you would do
If Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with you.

—Lois Blanchard Sades

Let us examine some of the records concerning the homes in which Jesus visited, and take note of the reaction of the people who were there with him.

JESUS VISITED MATTHEW LEVI’S HOUSE

First, let us notice the visit of Jesus to Matthew Levi’s house. As Jesus traveled along the Sea of Galilee, he invited Matthew Levi, a tax collector, to follow him and be his disciple. Matthew accepted this invitation, and invited Jesus into his home where he prepared a great dinner for Jesus and many other friends. Jesus accepted the invitation, and went to Matthew Levi’s house. Immediately, the Pharisees and the scribes murmured against Jesus because he would visit into the home of a man like Matthew Levi, and eat with publicans and sinners. Jesus answered their criticism by comparing himself to a physician whose work is not to go to those who are well but to those who are sick. Since Jesus was like a physician, he needed to go to those who were sick in sin and spiritually diseased. He had the only remedy to heal the sin sick soul. Therefore I’m sure that if Christ were to visit into some of the homes today, there would be some people who will be ready to criticize Him because he would not be keeping the kind of company that they would think he ought to keep.

JESUS VISITED THE HOUSE OF JAIRUS

A little later, Jesus visited the home of Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. Jairus had a little daughter about 12 years of age; she was very sick, even to the point of death, and Jairus invited Jesus to his own house in order that he might heal his young daughter. As they traveled to his house, a messenger came to say that there was no use troubling Jesus any longer, for the young girl had died. Jesus quieted their fears by advising them not to be afraid, but to believe; and then he took Peter, James and John along with the father and mother into the house, and stated to all that were there that she was not dead, but only sleeping. Their reaction to that statement was: “And they laughed him to scorn.” Nevertheless, Jesus raised the young girl from her sleep of death. Luke, in his account, tells us that her spirit came again and she rose straightway (Luke 8:55).

No one has the power to perform any kind of miracle today; but I’m sure that if Jesus were here today and performing such miracles as he did in the long ago, there would be some who would laugh him to scorn. Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead, which is a pledge and a promise that he will raise all the dead at the last day, but when gospel preachers talk about the resurrection of the body from the grave, there are many today who will laugh us to scorn and deny that such will ever take place.

JESUS VISITED HIS HOMETOWN CONGREGATION OF NAZARETH

Still on another occasion Jesus visited his hometown of Nazareth, and entered into one of the synagogues. As his custom was, he stood up to read, and they brought him the book of Isaiah, and he read: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19). Having read that great and wonderful passage describing his ministry to those who are lost in sin, he sat down. Later when they asked him some questions, and Jesus commented upon their questions, they were ready to drive them from their synagogue and destroy his life: “And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust them out of the city, and led Him unto the brow of the hill where on their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way” (Luke 4:28-30).

WHAT IF JESUS VISITED SOME CHURCHES TODAY?

This indicates that if Jesus were to visit many churches in our land today and read the Bible and make the application as pointed as he did when he lived upon the earth, many people would be ready to drive him from their midst and take his life. We need to seriously ask ourselves the question of how we would treat the Lord if he were to come to our house or to our congregation. He will not physically come to our house, but he is coming back again to judge all who have ever lived upon the earth according to the standard of God’s word (2 Corinthians 5:10).

HOW WOULD YOU TREAT JESUS?

The way we live and the way we act determine in a great way how we would treat the Lord. The way we treat the poor, the downhearted, the stranger, the sick, the thirsty and the hungry is really how we would treat the Lord. Jesus said to a certain group of people: “Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not unto me.” And he said that these people shall go away into everlasting punishment. When Saul of Tarsus traveled even unto strange cities and persecuted the church, binding men and women and putting them into prison because they were Christians; Jesus confronted Saul and said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul persecuted Jesus by persecuting the people of Christ. And so the way we treat the people of Christ is how we would treat Christ were he to visit our house, city or congregation.*

* Copyright © 2017 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved. I originally wrote this article in July, 1974.

Shelby G. Floyd
Heartland Church of Christ
1693 West Main Street
Greenwood, Indiana 46142

╬

“God calls men when they are busy, and Satan calls them when they are idle.”

BIBLICAL INSPIRATION NO. 5

Published on by sgf1964Leave a comment

By

Shelby G. Floyd

CHRIST AND THE BOOK OF JONAH

Another book which the higher critics and modernists have made light of and passed off as a fairy tale is the book of Jonah. But Christ does not share the view of the higher critics in regards to the book of Jonah.

JONAH SWALLOWED BY A GREAT FISH

The scribes and the Pharisees were some of the worst critics of our Lord. They wouldn’t believe what he said without some miraculous sign. In answer to their request for a miraculous sign, Jesus said:

“A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12: 39-40, NIV).

JONAH IN THE FISH THREE DAYS AND NIGHTS

Notice in this quotation that our Lord referred to Jonah as “the prophet Jonah” (Matt. 12: 39). He also compared his death and burial in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights upon the fact that Jonas had been three days and three nights in the whale’s belly. This record is found in Jonah 1:17, but the modernists tell us that the book of Jonah is just a fairy tale, and that it is not a real historical event. Obviously, our Lord did not share their view, but he believed that Jonah was a prophet of God and that what is recorded of him actually took place as a real historical event.

JONAH WAS A GREAT SERVANT AND PROPHET

Not only did Christ refer to Jonah as a prophet, but also in the Old Testament historical books he is referred to as a servant,

“…according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher” (2 Kings 14: 25 NKJV).

A prophet is one who speaks forth the will of God and sometimes in doing this foretells future events. A prophet was one sent out from God and in whom God put his words. Therefore Jesus Christ accepted the prophet Jonah and the book which bears his name as the inspired word of God.

Copyright © 2011 2017 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved

Shelby G. Floyd
Heartland Church of Christ
1693 West Main Street
Greenwood, Indiana 46142

CONCERNING CHRIST AND THE CHURCH

Published on by sgf1964Leave a comment

By

Shelby G. Floyd

In Ephesians 5:22-33, the apostle Paul sets forth the nature of the church and its relationship to Christ. He says in one place,

“This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:32).

What did Paul mean when he said, “I speak concerning Christ and the church”? Continue reading “CONCERNING CHRIST AND THE CHURCH” →

I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST

Published on by sgf1964Leave a comment

By

Shelby G. Floyd

Let us trust God to strengthen us in doing his work. This is biblical from the statements of the inspired writers:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

“For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (Colossians 1:29).

“And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might” (Ephesians 1:19).

As Jesus left the earth to go back to heaven he said to his disciples and also to us: “And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age” (Matthew 28: 20). This is a wonderful promise that every child of God who is faithful in serving the Lord should claim.

When Jesus was on the earth he went about teaching in the synagogues of the Jews, preaching the gospel of the kingdom and serving suffering humanity. But he said to his disciples: “The harvest truly is plenteous but the labors are few. Pray therefore the Lord of harvest that he will send laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:36-38). This statement indicates that God is not going to do all the work. His plan is for his people to go and get involved in the work of saving souls, strengthening the saved and serving the suffering.

However, while we are doing all that we can we must still trust God to be with us, to strengthen us and in his providence to open up doors for us to advance the gospel. We must cooperate with the ruler of the universe in order to be successful.

Let all of us in the Lord’s church trust in the mighty hand of God instead of the weak hand of man!

Copyright © 2017 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved

Shelby G. Floyd
Heartland Church of Christ
1693 West Main Street
Greenwood, Indiana 46142

TEST THE SPIRITS

Published on by sgf1964Leave a comment

By

Shelby G. Floyd

The author of the letter to the church at Ephesus is Jesus Christ (Revelation 2:1-3). This letter is a part of the Revelation which God gave to Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ gave to an Angel, and the Angel signified it to John, John wrote it down in a book and sent it to the churches (Revelation 1:1-2). A great blessing is pronounced upon those who read (aloud), hear and keep those things which are written in the last book of the Bible (Revelation 1:3). John received this wonderful disclosure while he was on the Isle of Patmos. He heard a great voice behind him as the voice of a trumpet, loud, distinct and clear. When he turned to see who was speaking, he saw seven Golden candlesticks; and in the midst of those Golden candlesticks he saw the glorified Christ, like unto the Son of Man, and he had in his right hand seven stars (Revelation 1:9-19). Continue reading “TEST THE SPIRITS” →

JOINING THE DISCIPLES (CHURCH)

Published on by sgf1964Leave a comment

By

Shelby G. Floyd

handshake-clipart

What a blessing it is for all of us to come together and worship God. In a congregation where I preached there was a man that visited from time to time. He would fill out a visitor’s card, and on it he would write, “I am a member of the church of Christ at large.” All of us are members of the church of Christ at large. But are we all members of the church of Christ at small? Today I am speaking on the topic of “Joining the Church.” I have never preached on this topic in over 54 years of ministry. All of my life I have heard that you do not join the church. Is it true that we do not join the church? The answer is both yes and no. There is a sense in which we do not join the church. And there is a sense in which we do join the church. Therefore we can have it both ways. Continue reading “JOINING THE DISCIPLES (CHURCH)” →

SOWING AND REAPING

Published on by sgf1964Leave a comment

By

Shelby G. Floyd

Wheat ears in the hands. Harvest concept

In the beginning, when the Almighty created the heavens and the earth, he established a rule or principle of life which is absolute, and which still holds true to this day; it is the law of sowing and reaping. God ordained that each species of the fauna and flora would always reproduce after their kind. For instance, in connection with the grass and herbs of the field, God said,

“Let the earth bring forth grass, The herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:11-12).

Continue reading “SOWING AND REAPING” →