Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins

"It's in the Bible...just read it! The power of the gospel in converting souls to Christ is amazing.  I am reminded of the story of Dad’s conversion.  My father, Ira Frisinger, was born in 1930 and endured the hardships of the times. His father died of appendicitis at the age of 29, just months before Dad was born.  Dad’s mother raised him and his older brother, Abe, to manhood without a father.  They lived in the “badlands” of eastern Montana on a small ranch.    During the war years of World War II, the family moved to California to work, while Uncle Abe went into the Army and the European battlefronts. The family was Catholic for the most part; while in California they occasionally attended a Methodist church near their home.  Dad joined the Air Force and served in Texas and Korea.  While in Texas, he met and married my mother, Florene Housewright.  My mother was raised in Texas and occasionally attended the primitive Baptist church. Dad was not very committed to any religion as he began his career with the Austin Police Department in 1953.  He served as a police officer with the Austin Police Department in many different units, from walking a beat to riding a three-wheeled motorcycle. In 1959, Dad was working as a call taker in the basement of the police building in downtown Austin with fellow officer Jimmy Moore, who worked with Dad as a police dispatcher.  In addition to being a police officer, Jimmy was a gospel preacher and on Saturday nights, during the long hours of night shift, he practiced his Sunday morning sermons.  Dad would listen to Jimmy as he practiced his sermon in the hallway just outside their office.  He began asking Jimmy questions about salvation and the gospel plan mentioned in his sermons.  Jimmy’s response to every question was the same, “It’s in the Bible, just read it.” Dad had grown disillusioned with the Catholic faith so he took Jimmy’s advice and began reading the Bible and searching for answers to his questions.  He read the Bible from cover to cover and came to the conclusion that the plan of salvation was extremely simple, and he discovered that most everything he had been taught in the past concerning religion was not even in the Bible!  Dad began studying with my mother and, as a result in 1959, they were baptized into Christ by Leathel Roberts, minister for the Ford Village church of Christ in south Austin.   Dad and Mom have remained faithful now for 50 years.  He has served as a Deacon in the church since 1964 and has told the story of his conversion many times – it never fails to touch my heart.  All would do well to remember the simple yet powerful gospel plan for man’s salvation, teaching others by our example and, when asked about our faith, being ready to give an answer, just as Jimmy Moore gave my father – “It’s in the Bible, just read it.” Tracy Frisinger

Ira Frisinger read these passages of scripture and many others: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that He will not hear,” Isaiah 59:1-2. “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God,” John 3:3-5. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned,” Mark 16:15-16. “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,” Acts 2:37-38. “They that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and breaking of bread, and in prayers…And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Acts 2:41-42, 47. “Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; andto brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shallneither be barren nor unfruitful in theknowledge ofourLord Jesus Christ,” 2 Peter 1:4-5. The Bible

The Fruit of Conversion When a tree is planted fruit is expected. When someone says he has undergone the new birth (John 3:3-5), then change is expected. Certain fruit should be born in the life of the one who claims to be a convert of Christ (Matt. 18:3; Acts 3:22). Think back to that moment in time that you obeyed the gospel. Remember how you lived before that moment and think about how you live now. Has there been a change (2 Corinthians 5:17)? Conversion calls for a new way of looking at things. It calls for a new: LIFE. The apostle Paul wrote, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life,” (Romans 6:3-34). When a person is truly converted, old things pass away and everything ecomes new (2 Cor. 5:17). MIND. Again, we turn to the Scriptures. “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth,” (Colossians 3:1-2). The converted mindset is a heavenly one (Philippians 4:8). STANDARD. The standard for the converted person is Christ (Acts 2:36). He is the ultimate example (1 Peter 2:21). His word becomes the guiding light in all that is done (Psalm 119:105). Walking by the flesh is left behind for walking according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1). VALUES. Conversion means that I now understand that the most valuable things in the world are my own soul (Mark 8:36-37), the souls of others (Matthew 28:19-20; John 3:16), and the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). No longer will I live for self but rather for the purpose of glorifying God (1 Corinthians 10:31). GOALS. Before conversion the most important goals may be vocational, educational, or perhaps even recreational. However, after a person obeys the truth of the gospel (Romans 6:17), eternal life now becomes his goal, both in this life (John 10:10; 17:3) and in the age to come (Matthew 25:46). Converted people easily echo the sentiment of Paul who said, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 3:13-14). Are you truly converted? Are you bearing fruit that demonstrates that you really belong to Christ? It is the Father’s business that we bear much fruit (John 15:8). Therefore, let’s be about the business of doing it (Luke 2:49).    Bill Burk, Seagoville, TX.