LightGrams
February 1, 2017
Volume 22, Number 5
Residents of Vicenza, Italy can expect to receive more mail in the next few weeks. Some of the mail they’ll receive dates back to 2010. It’s not that the Italian postal service has fallen behind, but one of their mail carriers has been slacking.
A 56-year-old postman has been arrested after authorities found more than 1,200 pounds of undelivered mail in a garage he had been using. Among the contents of that find were telephone directories, bills, bank statements, and tax forms. It has been announced as the largest stash of undelivered mail ever discovered in Italy.
This is the not the first time we’ve heard such a story. In December of 2017 a mail carrier in Colorado was arrested for possessing 79 first-class letters, none of which were address to him and half of which had been opened. In June of 2015 a 30-year postal manager in Indiana was arrested for stealing 23 packages containing pain medicine for military veterans. Numerous other stories like these can be easily found.
I personally wouldn’t mind if my mail carrier “lost” some of the mail that ends up in my box; I receive more than enough junk mail! Still, I’d prefer deciding for myself which letters I receive and which someone else can open.
Nearly 2,000 years ago Jesus instructed His apostles to deliver a message to every home in the world: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). The word “gospel” means good news, as you likely know. Why is it such good news? Read the next verse: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved …” (Mark 16:16). The opportunity to be saved is the best news a person can hear.
Once God’s saving grace was shown to Paul (see Acts 22:16), he took this Great Commission seriously: “So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes …” (Romans 1:15,16). No mail we’ll receive from the post office comes close to the importance of this message from heaven.
Later in the same letter, Paul raised a sobering question: “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?” (Romans 10:14).
All Christians – not just Paul or the other apostles – are charged with the responsibility of delivering this message of salvation. If that be true, then shouldn’t we each have the same realization as Paul had in 1 Corinthians 9:16: “… necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”
God has a message for people in your circle. Have you delivered that message?
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copyright, 2018, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
“LightGrams” is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to “Tim@GraceMine.org” (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571.
Permission to reproduce and/or use the messages for noncommercial purposes is freely granted provided the messages are not altered.