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Logos Ministries Incorporated
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Volume 3, Number 1 -- April 1995 IT’S THE PRINCIPLE OF THE THING! (This is the second in a series of meditations on principles one can find in the Scriptures; principles that affect the way we live and serve God.) GOD TAKES EVERY RELATIONSHIP SERIOUSLY Did you ever go to church and never think about God? I am afraid people do it all the time and never realize it. Oh, that choir member just hit a sour note! There are those noisy kids in church again. Why don’t their parents take them out? The organist made a boo-boo. The sermon is not too upbeat this morning. Wow! This song fits my voice range just right! I like that! This stranger next to me can’t carry a tune in a bucket. Check your watch, it is 11:30 and he hasn’t started preaching yet. Lunch will be a cinder. This sanctuary is cold again this morning. I don’t like all this new music. The list is endless. People in the building, but never involved in worship. The prophet Malachi helps us to understand that God takes every relationship, including worship, seriously. God wants our relationships with Him to be meaningful. God is even willing to stop the process in order to start over again. Malachi must have startled the people of Israel when he said, on behalf of God, "Your sacrifices and offerings I would not..." If the relationship isn’t real; if it isn’t meaningful; God would really prefer that it not be at all. As you read Malachi, chapter one, notice that they were unaware that they did not love God (1:2); they did not honor God, (1:6); Israel was not aware that they despised God’s name or that they placed defiled food on the altar, (1:6, 7); They forgot that they made the table contemptible, (1:7); they were not aware that they disobeyed God by giving the blind, crippled and diseased sacrifices, (11:8); they gave God what they would never give their governor, (1:8). How could they miss all this?! How did they get that way? Some were just evil; some really didn’t fit that category; others were not always mean, but some were; They began doing what God wanted them to do. They soon began doing what God wanted because he demanded it. It was a slaves attitude. By then, purpose was lost and requirement had set in. We do some of this. How many give 10% because they feel required to? God would be more satisfied with an eager 5%. How many attend church because "we always do"? How many people in churches teach because no one else will? Do we ever do the right thing the right way, grudgingly? Do we ever do the right thing, any way at all grudgingly? Eventually, we might not do the right thing at all. That is where Israel was when Malachi wrote. Notice that God’s instructions were not options; they were commands. It is never an option to ask, "Do I really want to grow?" Some people think of this as what certain kinds of people like, but not them. Some even see it as a fad. We are commanded to grow; to become, under God, what we were unable to be yesterday. We need to see growth as an opportunity, not a drudgery. It is our opportunity to demonstrate obedience to God; to care for others as God commanded. It is an opportunity to witness to what God did in us; to demonstrate the power of God to change us. If love for God is real, we will be eager to grow- "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." It should be clear to us, doing the right thing for the wrong reason is unacceptable. Obeying because we are afraid not to doesn’t work. Attending worship because it is good for our political image, is no good, no matter who does it. To take a job in the church to impress people with our piety is not good enough. It is just as bad to refuse a church task because it is beneath our skills and dignity. In Malachi 1:10-14, God describes how He feels about doing the right thing for the wrong reason. "I am not pleased with you." (1:10) "O that someone would shut the doors,..." (:10) "I will accept no offering from your hands." (1:10) You profane the Lord’s name" (1:12) Cursed is the cheat,." 1:14). Not a happy thought, to say the least. We must do the right thing for the right reason. I believe the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican is a case in point. (Luke 18:9-14) This is a devastating parable for people who trust in themselves. Look at the contrast between the two: People saw the Pharisee as Holy; they saw the publican as a sinner. The Pharisee, however, obeyed out of pride; the Publican had nothing of which to be proud. Both men prayed. God took them seriously as they prayed. God saw the Pharisees motives as pride and arrogance. God saw the Publican’s motives as contrition and humility. As you know, the result was that the lowly Publican went home justified, the Pharisee was not. God takes every relationship with us seriously - for what it really is, not what we want people to think it is. We need to hear the message of Malachi. We need to hear again, in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, that God takes every relationship with us seriously. We need to determine what we will be and do on the basis of that awareness. Will you do it? O. William Cooper REQUEST FOR PRAYER On October 17-19, 1996, Dr. Cooper will be leading a three day spiritual life retreat for the North Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. This will be held near Indianapolis. The Logos Board is praying daily for the pastors of the North Indiana Conference. Pastors have an awesome calling. We desire God to bless them as never before as they lead their congregations in following Christ. We urge you to join with us to pray that the blessing of God will rest on these people as never before. Let us hold up their hands in prayer. WRITING UPDATE The writing on a study for the book of Ruth is completed and has been field-tested twice. The proof-reading is in progress and it will be available soon. In the same volume there will be a study of the book of Esther. The study for this is completed and two field-test teaching experiences are almost complete. Within the month, the proof reading will begin and the combined study of Ruth and Esther should be available in the very near future. For many years, people have asked that we print the material that Dr. Cooper teaches in the seminars on Inductive Bible study. The writing on Inductive Bible study is now being proof-read. He will also include the seminar he does teaching people to use the Greek New Testament when they do not know the language. His son Kiel joins him in this volume and is preparing a section on using the Hebrew Old Testament when you do not know that language. TEACHING AGAIN From mid-July to mid-August, Dr. Cooper will again be teaching in the Course of Study School which meets at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, in Evanston Illinois. He will teach a course in Bible in both of the two week modules of the school. He will also teach an evening class, for which the students get no credit, in Inductive Bible Study. GOING BACK TO THE UKRAINE About a week after Dr. Cooper returns from teaching in Evanston, he and his wife Ruth will leave for Donetsk, Ukraine. Both of them will be teaching at the seminary there this Fall. Ruth will teach a course in Christian Education. Bill will again teach a course in Synoptics, (the problems in Matthew, Mark and Luke) as well as a course in the Gospel of Luke. Bill’s study, A Physician’s Perspective, will be the text for this class. Ruth will teach the third year pastor’s class while Bill will teach the second year pastor’s class. This is an exciting opportunity and both of them are busy getting their work prepared for this thrilling experience. As you may know, 43 years ago, these two were planning to go to be missionary teachers on an island off the coast of Australia. Poor health made that impossible. Now more than four decades later, the calling to missionary service has come again and in a way that they can both participate. TAKING A TRIP? We were hoping that Bill could take a group to Israel again this year as he did twice last year. Conditions in that area did not make the possibility look inviting. We were approached by two couples asking if we would consider taking a group on a tour of the journeys of Paul. This would be an excellent opportunity and would be much safer, to say the least. If you would be interested, please let us know and we will get information to you just as soon as possible. DENVER SUNDAY SCHOOL CONVENTION They now refer to it as Church Ministries Convention, but it is the same thing. Again, Logos ministries was represented there and we presented a workshop on Using the Greek New Testament when You do not Know the Language. Though the weather was not that good, it was well attended and it appears that several of the people bought the books and are going to use the Greek New Testament in their study of the Bible. TAKING MEDICATIONS TO DONETSK Again this year, we want to send about 1,000 pounds of medical supplies to Donetsk. Each year when Bill goes to the Seminary, he has taken many boxes of medical supplies and equipment to give to the medical personnel at the seminary. The freight on this material is about $1,000. It is amazing what this will do for people who couldn’t buy the medicine if they had the money. There is no medicine there to buy. We have found that there was not even an aspirin available in the hospitals. MEDICAL EQUIPMENT Medicine is scarce, but in many situations, medical equipment is nonexistent. At the seminary, there is a dentist, but no equipment and supplies with which to do the work. Because of this, it is often possible to see a number of students sitting in class holding their jaw because of the pain. We can help with this as well. The school has made a room available for a dental office. There is a dental lab that can be secured and taken to the Seminary. It can be set up and used there for the students as well as a means to minister to people of the community. Many dentists here go to other countries and use their dental skills as a way of witnessing for Christ. It is our hope to provide just such a witnessing tool for the people at the seminary. If God lays this on your heart, please designate that your gift is for that specific purpose. A BIT ABOUT LOGOS MINISTRIES. We are a non-profit organization incorporated in the state of Colorado. The IRS has given us a provisional non-profit status that is currently being reviewed by them. We do seek funding even as we also sell books written by Dr. Cooper. Some of the seminars that Dr. Cooper teaches include the sale of some additional books. Dr. Cooper copyrights his books in the name of Logos Ministries and thus receives no royalty from the sales. No Board member receives any funds from Logos. Profits from the books sold allows us to give books to missionaries and to prisons. We have had funds to help provide for Dr. Cooper's teaching mission to the Ukraine, but he has had to pay part of it himself. Know that every book you buy is a source of mission work. Logos Ministries has a Board of six members currently. The by-laws provide for five to nine. The Board members are from three states and represent five different professions. They meet twice a year to conduct the business. Our president, Dr. Cooper consults with the board between meetings by telephone and in person.
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