SCRAPS, A COLLECTION OF SHORT GOSPEL TEXTS BY CLYDE C. PRICE, JR. (C)1989,1990 Clyde C. Price, Jr. Permission is granted to reprint these articles individually and/or serially, with rights reserved for the collection. Free and wide dissemination of this electronic edition is urged and appreciated. If you reprint several of these articles for your church, I ask you, what kind of honorarium would you give to a Sunday morning guest preacher? If you send no honorarium, I won't fuss. Let's get the Word out! INTRODUCTION TO "SCRAPS" My former home church, the Word of Life Fellowship of East Point, GA, wanted to run some newspaper ads, and the elders invited me to write some short articles for them. I wrote and submitted a few, and I kept writing. Most of them start with one verse of Scripture which I try to explain and apply to a mixed audience of Christians and non-Christians in an evangelistic way. I called this collection "Scraps," because the first drafts were literally written on scraps of paper salvaged from a print shop, probably some time in the winter of 1984-85. I vividly remember writing by hand, sitting in my very drafty hall in my cold house in Grant Park (a part of Atlanta for poor folks and house-restoring yuppies). I think some of them may have been run for our church, but I don't have clippings on most of these. A few are first person or regional, and I left the W.O.L.F. church name in some of them. Feel free to edit in your own church name for any articles you wish to use. The "first-person" stuff may not go well for a paid advertisement or tract, but could be a newsletter feature. As in any collection, some are better than others. Some of these are particularly feisty. You may or may not choose to be so confrontive, but I really encourage you to avoid compromising basic doctrines of the faith. Raise up a standard of belief in the inspired and inerrant Scriptures and in the King revealed in them. If you use this material, I think that "--Clyde Price" at the end fits in with the principle of accountability. There is no outline or order to this collection. These were just things I wanted to write about "bragging in the Lord" on behalf of my home church. I hope that you will enjoy them. I pray that God will use them for the upbuilding of His Kingdom. I gave several suggestions for use of local media in my other collections, "Arrows for your Quiver" and "Short Shots". Most of these would "work" as newsletter features. I think over half would be good paid ads. Several would make good leaflet-style tracts, I think. In "Arrows" and "Shots" I deliberately avoided denominationally distinctive doctrinal issues. These were written with my home church in mind, and so would not fit all evangelical or Reformed churches. Please don't get so bent out of shape on some issue that you quit reading. I won't be offended a bit if I find out that anti-charismatic dispensationalists or postmillineal theonomists are using some of my articles and not others. I'll be pleased to be of service to my brethren. I believe in the authority of the Scriptures, that Jesus is Lord over every area of life, that the "gifts of the Spirit" are included in the blessings and equipment of the New Covenant, and that while Christians are responsible to preach the gospel to all people, that it is God Himself who has to save people. May all the glory go to Him! I preach and teach the Bible in the pulpit, to children, when I write, and in my counseling and daily conversations. I'm a BIBLE person, and I love other BIBLE people and churches, even those who disagree with me on non-central details of doctrine. If you disagree with me at some point, I pray that you'll follow the example of the wise old preacher, who said, "I eats de fish, and I spits out de bones." I love to preach. I've worked a long time with children and small groups of adults, and I find when I listen to my own tapes that I'm not as hard-hitting or as fast-talking as the preachers I admire. At least, I'm very careful that my content is Biblical and my personal opinions are (usually) labeled as such. If you prefer a laid-back non-jumping non-screamer, you'd probably like me. If you like what you read, maybe you'd like to hear me preach. Call me and ask me about dates, distances and expenses, etc. I'm eager to share God's Word in any media available to me, and to be your servant as you seek to win and build people for Jesus. I am His, Clyde C. Price, Jr. (404) 761-2327 CIS# 76616,3452 P.O.Box 667 Red Oak, GA 30272-0667 USA I'm trying to develop ways to share this material over electronic media, especially online services such as BBSs or the big guys such as Compuserve. If you have a personal computer, this would save retyping and allow you to print out in a variety of formats. Spring 1989 ccp SCRAPS: Introduction 1 A New Creation Race 2 Provision for Abundant Life 3 Good Stuff 4 The Problem of Sin 5 License to Sin 6 Self-Image 7 Whose Slave Are You? 8 Free Gift 9 Does God Really Love You? 10 What About Those Hypocrites? 11 Our Response To Grace 12 It's Better to Be A Winner 13 The Direction of Your Life 14 Attention: All Seekers 15 Vending Machine 16 Can Atheists Speak of Sin? 17 Of Pearls and Pigs 18 The Transformers 19 Ever Feel Rejected? 20 Your Priority-Record 21 Face Value Speech 22 Religious Folk 23 Are You A Follower of Jesus? 24 A Craving Satisfied 25 Stay Away! 26 Where Are You Headed? 27 Comparison-Shopping For a Church? 28 In a Squeeze? 29 That's My Second Lock 30 Cutting a Plainer Path 31 Bug One Another 32 $ Money $ Money $ Money $ 33 Sex--Sex--Sex 34 Beware of Religious Liars 35 Beware of Religious Fakes 36 The Believer's Bar of Soap 37 Prayer for the Sick 38 Our Society Is Being Invaded By An Extra-Planetary Power 39 Controversial Claims 40 "I Will Return"--Jesus + StampIt + "To My Kids" afterword A "NEW CREATION" RACE Some people who call themselves Christians refuse to go to church with Christians of another race. The Bible says, "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a LIAR; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen." (I John 4:20 NAS) If you hate (reject) Christians of another race, you yourself are NOT SAVED; you are a FAKE, a plastic believer, a LIAR. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature (OR there is a new creation); the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (II Corinthians 5:17) Jesus People participate in a NEW CREATION "in which there is NO DISTINCTION between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all." (Colossians 3:11) Read the letter to the Colossians for yourself. When we receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we don't expect our skin color, hair texture or eye slant to change, but we do become members of a Forever Family of brothers and sisters with a LOT of variety. [Clyde Price--Scraps01] PROVISION FOR ABUNDANT LIFE Some people are afraid to become Christians because they are afraid that they're not strong enough to put wrong things out of their lives and replace them with right things. God has already made provisions for you. "Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." (II Peter 1:4 NIV) Read the letters of Peter for yourself, near the end of the New Testament. God has given many, many promises in Scripture which cover every legitimate need that we have living in this world. Sometimes we need help to identify these areas of need and match them with the provisions in the Word. Part of God's provisions for us are found in the family of believers, and the various ministries of the church, including the ministries of teacher and pastor. Everything God has for us is given to us "in Christ", no matter what channels He uses to get it to us. When we are in the covenant relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, we have the RESPONSIBILITY to TAKE those "great and precious promises" and EXERCISE them to the benefit of ourselves, our families, the church of Jesus Christ, and the world in general. The most important provision God has made for you is forgiveness of all your sin and the gift of abundant eternal life. The Lord Jesus died on the cross for all sinners who would put their trust in Him, and He rose victoriously from the grave to call you into His Life. Whether you had known it, or believe it, or not, YOU HAVE BEEN PROVIDED FOR. Put your trust in Jesus. [Clyde Price--Scraps02] "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NAS) GOOD STUFF Do you feel that you are interested in the things of God, and yet are drawn by the attractive things in "the world" that you know are contrary to God's will? The Lord Jesus said, "I came that they [My 'sheep', My people] might have life, and have it abundantly." (John 10:10) God is the one who designed us. The Bible is much more than a Manufacturer's Handbook, but it is AT LEAST that. God knows how He intended human beings to function in the world which He created for them. The things He prohibits and commands are for our good, and we can find life, meaning, purpose, and fulfillment ultimately ONLY in Him. Read the Gospel of John and the Gospel of Matthew for yourself, and ask God to show you directly if this is the Truth. As you read, you will find that God provides forgiveness, freedom, dignity and abundant life for all who put their trust in the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. The Psalmist said, "I have no good thing besides Thee" (Ps 16:2), in other words, "I have no good thing apart from You." This is also true in your case, whether you believe it or not. Put your trust in Jesus. [CLYDE PRICE--SCRAPS03] THE PROBLEM OF SIN Adam blew it. Adam and Eve committed a crime for which the penalty was physical and spiritual death.. Because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, they experienced SEPARATION from God. All their descendants have been born into a STATE of separation, and we all have an inherited tendency to sin. "Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned" (Romans 5:12 NIV). Sin became universal in every member of the human race except the Lord Jesus Christ, who was born of a virgin, and who is called "the Second Adam". (See Romans 5:12-21.) Because we inherit a sin NATURE, we commit ACTS of sin. We sin because we ARE sinners, not vice versa. It is human nature to sin. If you wish to reflect on the strangeness of our twisted nature, read C.S.Lewis' books, OUT OF THE SILENT PLANET, and PERELANDRA. By means of a fictional setting, he magnifies the absurdity of typical sinful human nature. As Paul explains in the book of ROMANS in the New Testament (read it for yourself), the problem of sin is met in the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel, the Crucified and Risen Lord. The "first" Adam sinned, and brought death to all his descendants. The "second Adam", Jesus Christ, obeyed the Father, even to death on the cross, and brought life to all of His people when He arose in victory from the dead. The Lord Jesus gave Himself as the atoning sacrifice for sin so that all of Adam's descendants who trust in Him will be freed, forgiven, cleansed, made alive with eternal life, and given a new purpose, power and peace. This means YOU, TOO. Don't stay polluted. Come clean from the inside out. Put your trust in Jesus. [CLYDE PRICE--SCRAPS04] LICENSE TO SIN Some folks think, "Oh, God loves to forgive sinners! That's what Christ died for! So I'll just go on and sin some more, because God will forgive me anyway." Sometimes this may involve a ritual of "confession" or "penance" or some other religious activity, but this form of "cheap grace" or "sloppy agap'e" is an abomination to God. The apostle Paul addresses people who see Christianity as a "sin now, 'fess later" plan: "What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:1-2 NIV) Waft the rich aromas of an expertly cooked feast under the nostrils of a dead man. Is he tempted to gluttony? If you tell him a slimy joke, or show him a skin flick, he's unaffected. The problem of a genuine believer who slips into sin is addressed in I John 1:7-2:2. The main point to the passage above is that those who put their trust in Christ have DIED to sin. They therefore have NO FURTHER BUSINESS sinning. Grace is not a James-Bond-type "license to kill" or indulge in any other violation of God's will. God's grace provides believers in Jesus Christ forgiveness from the guilt of sin and freedom from its power. A Christian is "dead" to sin, and free NOT to sin. Read the book of Romans for yourself. Chapters 1-8 are God's plan of salvation, by grace through faith in the crucified and risen Messiah. Chapters 9-11 apply this to the special case of Israel, same way for them. Chapters 12-16 apply the spiritual teaching to the nitty-gritty details of living in the world. Please DO NOT walk up to your spouse and say, "You look like you're dead." We encourage you to find new life and power through faith in Jesus Christ, and freedom in Him from the power of sin. Put your trust in Jesus. [CLYDE PRICE--SCRAPS05]