Godly Fathers

One of life’s greatest blessings and challenges for a man is fatherhood. This relationship involves the greatest joys and demands the best one has to give and often will include many sorrows. A godly father loves his wife and is loyal to his marital vows (Ephesians 5:25). He desires the best for his children. A father is industrious. He labors to provide for his family and the needs of others who lack the material things of life (I Timothy 5:8; Ephesians 4:28).

The greatest contribution a father can make to his family is leadership in spiritual matters. In every age, the head of the family has been required of God to provide the proper direction regarding religious training. Modern fathers are most likely to leave this responsibility to the wife and mother. However, Paul exhorted: “And you fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but nurture them in the chastening and admonition of the Lord’ (Ephesians 6:4). It is a tremendous requirement to make sure one’s children are taught of God but the rewards are everlasting. A Christian father may not be able to give very much materially to his children but the legacy of having a father who loved his family and the Lord surpasses everything else. The greatest inheritance a Christian father can leave is one that is rich in faith in God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We should never underestimate the love that a father possesses in his heart for his children. His emotions may not be as noticeable as the mother; yet, the feelings are just as deep. Most fathers would give their lives on behalf of their families. Their hearts are filled with deep gratitude when they witness their children succeeding in life. The Christian father rejoices greatly when his children obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. My father will be remembered for being a fine Christian gentleman. Also, the legacy of having a good name has meant more to me than all the riches of this world. It was the wise man of old who wrote: “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold” (Proverbs 22:1); and, “A good name is better than precious ointment…” (Ecclesiastes 7:1).

Godly fathers are rare in this modern society. But, we should always be thankful for the ones who are. Truly, you are blessed indeed if you have/had a Christian father who placed Christ first in his life. His influence in your life and even in the lives of his grandchildren will be felt for many years to come. Say, have you hugged your father recently?

FATHERS ARE WONDERFUL PEOPLE

Fathers are wonderful people

too little understood,

And we do not sing their praises

as often as we should...

For, somehow, Father seems to be

the man who pays the bills,

While Mother binds up little hurts

and nurses all our ills...

And Father struggles daily

to live up to "his image"

As protector and provider

and "hero of the scrimmage"...

And perhaps that is the reason

we sometimes get the notion

That Fathers are not subject

to the thing we call emotion,

But if you look inside Dad's heart,

where no one else can see,

You'll find he's sentimental

and as "soft" as he can be...

But he's too busy every day

in the grueling race of life,

He leaves the sentimental stuff

to his partner and his wife...

But Fathers are just wonderful

in a million different ways,

And they merit loving compliments

and accolades of praise,

For the only reason Dad aspires

to fortune and success

Is to make the family proud of him

and to bring them happiness...

And like Our Heavenly Father,

he's a guardian and a guide,

Someone that we can count on

to be always on our side.

~Helen Steiner Rice

My Memories of Martin

My brother’s name was actually Walter Martin Elliott, named after our father, Walter Matthew. He was the first child of six born to Walter and Victoria Elliott. Martin was born on March 31, 1926 in the Elliott’s Crossroads community in Dekalb County, Alabama. He, along with two siblings, moved with my parents to Trion, Georgia, where they found work in the textile mills in early 1933. Later in 1941 the family made their home in Summerville, Georgia, where Martin grew into his teenage years. He was well known and liked by those who knew him. He worked for Hinton Logan, a Christian brother, in a local grocery store in downtown Summerville. I remember him having an automobile with a ‘rumble seat’ in the back of the car. Martin was over six feet tall and very handsome.

 He fell in love with a beautiful young lady from Fort Payne, Alabama, Catherine King. They eloped when he was eighteen years old and were married in the small community of Rising Fawn near Trenton, Georgia. Martin was soon drafted into the military and began serving in the U.S. Army in 1944. It was during the time when men were greatly needed in the war with Germany and Japan. The young men did not receive extensive training for combat duty. I remember that he took his basic training at Fort Blanding near Jacksonville, Florida for about three months and was soon shipped off to Europe.

Martin was a Private First Class and served in the 178 INFANTRY 95 DIVISION and was with a machine gun squadron. It was during the winter of 1944-45 that the American military forces were making advances into the northwestern part of Germany. During an intense battle near the town of Hamn, Germany, Martin was wounded and died soon afterward. He was at the age when young men and women were enrolling in colleges and/or going into the work force but our country needed our youth in combat to fight against the forces of the Nazi Regime. Martin celebrated his 19th birthday anniversary on March 31, 1945 and was killed six days later on April 5, approximately two months before Germany surrendered to the Allied Forces.

My father was at work at the cotton mill which was located in the southern part of the town of Summerville when he received the telegram that contained the dreaded news that his oldest son had been killed in action. He then walked the long distance to the house where we lived on West Washington Street to bring that news to us. That part of the road was unpaved and our rental house was located on the top of a ridge. I was standing on the front porch when I saw him coming up the hill and he shouted out the words I have never forgotten, “Martin has been killed.” I was almost 10 years old at the time and I remember well the over-whelming sorrow and grief my family experienced upon learning that terrible news, especially my parents. We had not received any ‘air mail’ letters from Martin for sometime and my parents were greatly concerned about his safety. Following the news of his death we received packages back that my mother had sent to him, some containing food items and I well remember that mother would not permit my younger brother and me to eat the sweets.

Martin’s wife had the choice of having his body brought back to the states for burial or to be buried in a military cemetery in Europe and she chose the latter and this decision nearly killed my parents, especially mother who suffered emotionally for several years as they never had any ‘closure’ relating to the death of their precious first born child. I remember how I believed that he had not been killed but perhaps captured or wounded and that one day he would come home.

Martin was buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery in the village of Margraten, 6 miles east of Maastricht. Though I have never seen his grave site, I have a niece who visited his grave; and a friend who attended worship at the Prattville church several years ago who was a native of Holland and while visiting relatives in Rotterdam she made a special trip to the cemetery where Martin is buried. She brought me the flag that was on his grave and here is a picture that she gave me.

I found a letter that was written to my parents from a fellow soldier and friend of my brother Martin but over time the name of that individual had been torn from the bottom of the page and so the writer’s identity remains unknown.

Following the death of our mother in 1988, the Purple Heart awarded to Martin was left in my possession. It is a constant reminder of the supreme sacrifices that were made during WWII, thousands of whom were mere teenagers. Though he has been dead since 1945, I have endeavored to keep the memory of my dear brother Martin and the sacrifice he made as a youth to help keep the world free from the oppression of the Nazi Regime in the hearts of our children.

If Christ Be Not Raised

One of the cardinal doctrines of the New Testament is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There are 38 references to the resurrection of Jesus in the books of the New Testament. The resurrection of our Lord is mentioned at least 13 times in the book of Acts alone so it was the center of the preaching of the apostles and other inspired men. If a person believes in the resurrection of our Lord then all the other miracles listed in the Bible can be easily accepted as being true. Should a person deny the resurrection of Jesus then the other miracles would also be denied.

In the epistle to the “church of God which is at Corinth” the apostle Paul writes in detail concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The general resurrection at his second advent is predicated upon the fact that our Lord Himself was resurrected from the dead. To deny one is to deny both. In the time of Paul, the Greeks did not believe in the resurrection of the body. They felt like the spirit relieved of the body was actually a blessing and the human body would never be resurrected. Even among the Jews, there was a sect called the Sadducees that did not believe in the resurrection of the dead (Matthew 22:23). In the great resurrection chapter of I Corinthians 15, the apostle deals at length with this important subject.

Here are some fateful conclusions which must be accepted if Christ was not raised from the dead.

1. “OUR PREACHING IS VAIN” (V.14). The central theme of the apostolic message was the resurrection of Jesus; that is, “that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he arose again the third day according to the scriptures”. The first gospel sermon that was preached by the 12 apostles dealt with the death and resurrection of Christ (Acts 2:24, 30, 31).

2. “YOUR FAITH IS IN VAIN” (14, 17). Our faith in the deity of Christ rests largely upon His resurrection. If He had not risen, His words were false because He Himself predicted His resurrection. “Jesus answered and said unto them, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews therefore said, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remember that he spake this; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said"  (John 2:19-22; See also Luke 9:22; Matthew 12:40). IF Jesus was not raised from the dead he would have proven to be inferior to death and the grave. The redemptive work of God was accomplished through the resurrection of Jesus. It gave spiritual power to those who believed to live a life of holiness and to posses the belief in eternal life. Please observe that the term “vain” in verse 14 and in verse 17 are different. “Vain” in verse 14 means void and in verse 17 it means “devoid of force and truth.”

3. “WE ARE FOUND FALSE WITNESS OF CHRIST” (V. 15). The apostles were told by Jesus that they were to be his witnesses (Acts 1:8). If Christ was not raised, the apostles were false witnesses in stating that they had seen him after his resurrection. Either one of the following two things would have to be true. The apostles deceived themselves; or, they were some of the world’s greatest liars and imposters. To bear false witness against men is bad but to bear false witness concerning Christ is even worse.

4. “YE ARE YET IN YOUR SINS” (V.17). A dead redeemer who has not been raised is no redeemer at all! It is true that Jesus died for our sins but Paul wrote in Romans 5:10: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Also, Jesus “was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25). The resurrection of Jesus lies at the foundation of faith and forgiveness of sins, and without it a confession of faith in Jesus Christ is meaningless.

5. “THEY ALSO THAT HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP IN CHRIST HAVE PERISHED” (V.18). Their loved ones who had obeyed Christ and lived for him who had died were lost if Christ was not raised. It isn’t that they were annihilated but rather they were before God the Father without an Advocate and Mediator. There was no one to help them. They were in God’s presence with their sins still upon them if Christ be not raised. If Christ was not raised from the dead then the term “asleep in Jesus” is nothing but a mocking rhetoric, a worthless expression denoting no comfort whatsoever. But Jesus said, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that they have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28, 29; See also I Thessalonians 4:13-17, Emphasis, Mine, RE).

6. “IF WE HAVE ONLY HOPED IN CHRIST IN THIS LIFE, WE ARE OF ALL MEN MOST PITIABLE” (V.19). Believers in Christ are worse off than the unbeliever if Christ be not raised. Degrees of pitiableness are regulated by hope. Christians are most pitiable because of their willingness to suffer, to be mocked and to die because of their hope in Christ if he be not raised from the dead. The apostle Paul compared all his sufferings as “light afflictions” in comparison to that “eternal weight of glory” awaiting him in heaven (2 Corinthians 4:17, 18). But such sufferings would be in vain if Christ be not raised. However the Christian has this precious promise: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3;Emphasis, Mine, RE).

The apostle Paul writes of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as being an established fact in chapter 15:20-22. During the 40 days between the resurrection of Christ and his ascension back to heaven, he appeared 10 times to different ones beginning with his appearance to the women (“Mary Magdalene and the other Mary”, Matthew 18:1). In 1 Corinthians 15:5-9, Paul mentioned several of his appearances: “And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.” The evidence therefore is overwhelming that Jesus Christ did in fact arise from the grave.

The lives of his apostles were changed after his resurrection. Christianity began to spread with great rapidity throughout the Roman World. Even after nearly 2,000 years the resurrection of Jesus Christ is having a tremendous impact on the lives of countless men and women who believe in Him as being the divine Son of God. Paul, in his letter to the church in Rome wrote the following: “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:17, 18). A “form” is a likeness and the “form” of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is found in Romans 6:1-4 when Paul wrote that the Christians had died to sin and were buried with their Lord in baptism and were raised to “walk in newness of life.”

The empty tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea is proof beyond any reasonable doubt that we serve a risen savior.

Encouragers

Webster defines the word “encourage”: “to give courage, hope, or confidence to; embolden, hearten. To give support to; be favorable to; foster help.” In the epistles to the church in Thessalonica, the apostle Paul used the word “encourage” several times: “Therefore, when we could stand it no longer, we decided to remain alone in Athens and send Timothy, our brother who works with us for God in the gospel of the Messiah, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be shaken by these persecutions, for which you are aware that we were destined” (1 Thess. 3:2, NIV). “Therefore encourage one another with these words” (4:18, ESV). ‘Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (5:11, ESV). “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all” (5:18, ESV). “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word” (2 Thess. 2:16, 17, NIV).

There are Christian men and women who have the God given talent to speak words of kindness and encouragement to their brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. Paul, in his epistle to church in Rome, exhorted those members to use that gift: “if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:8, NIV). We need more Christians like Barnabas whose name means “Son of Encouragement” (Acts 4:36). To encourage is to “exhort”, that is, to build up and strengthen one another in the most holy faith. In Hebrews 3:13 we are admonished to “encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13, NIV).

One of the reasons for us to encourage (exhort) one another is because Satan has a camouflaged weapon that really takes a toll on weary Christians and that is discouragement. If he cannot win you over through the lust of the flesh, the lust the eyes and the pride of life, he often uses this weapon to get members to give up the Lord and quit the church. Here are words of inspiration that are found in Galatians 6:9: “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” One of the primary reasons for our worship assemblies is to exhort (encourage) one another. “(N)ot neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25, ESV). And we often do this very thing through our singing. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16). The following hymn, written by Frank M. Davis in 1892, is one that we have often sung as a source of encouragement. (You can click HERE to find out more about this Christian song writer.)

LIVE FOR JESUS

“Live for Jesus, O my brother, His disciple ever be; Render not to any other, What alone the Lord’s should be Live for Jesus, wandering sinner, Under Satan serve no more; Of the prize a winner Thou may’st be, when life is o’er. Live for Jesus in life’s morning; At the noontide hour be His, And at eve, when day is turning, And inherit endless bliss. Live for Jesus, live for Jesus, Give Him all thou hast to give; On the cross the world’s Redeemer Gave His life that thou mightst live.”

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