Daily Updates

2011-03-25T11:21:00.002-05:00

God's Recipe for Good Thoughts

The devil has raged a battle for the minds of men, women, boys, and girls. He is aided greatly by the mass media which often portrays unrealistic and unchristian views of life an distorted values. To whom will we surrender our minds? To God or satan. As an individual, as a church, and even as a nation, we progress or fall backword morally and spiritually, based on our thinking.

Paul's thoughts were against Christ prior to his obedience to the gospel. According to Acts 26:9, Paul said, "I verily thougth with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Acts 22:19-20 tells of Paul confessing that he imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on God, and that he was actually there when Stephen was stoned, consenting unto his death.

When God estroyed the world and all of mankind with a flood, it was because of man's wickedness: "and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. "Genesis 6:5

Philippians 4:8, just about covers it all regarding clean living and good thoughts. "Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things."

TRUTH: Ephesians 4:25, Col. 3:17, Eph. 5:9 Lying will cause your life to FALL APART. Lying caused David to suffer terrible guilt. 2 Sam. 11:12, Psalm 32:1-4 Ananias and Sapphira lost their very lives because of lying. John 8:32 says, "the truth shall set you free."

HONEST: In this passage it means honorable. Romans 13:13, says "let us walk honestly; as in the day". An honorable man is respected by friends and rivals alike.

RIGHTEOUS: Titus 2:12, says,"teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, rougheously,and godly, in this present world."

JUST: We should try to do the right thing all the time.

PURE: We must have clean thoughts. Romans 12:21, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Also read the "verse of the day" below.

There are many more verses regarding Christian living on a daily basis:

2011-03-24T10:40:00.001-05:00

GOD AND THE SPIDER 3-24-11

During World War II, a US marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific Island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades.

Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge and crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed.

As he waited, he prayed, "Lord, if it be your-will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love and trust you. In Jesus name, Amen." After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy draw close. He thought, "Well, I guess the Lord isn't going to help me out of this one." Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of the cave.
"Hah", he thought. "What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor."

As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of the cave. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, they glanced in the direction of his cave and moved on. Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while.

"Lord, forgive me," prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that in you a spider's web is stronger than a brick wall."

Pray to God for help and comfort - then -look for God to help you and bless you in ways that you never imagined. Always remember what Jesus said in Mark 10:27, "With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible."

Skaggs church of Christ, Pocahontas, Arkansas, shared by Neva Haley
God measures our service, not just by our ability, but also by our

2011-03-11T10:07:00.001-06:00

ROOT SINS
~Philip B. Box
Some sins have a broader effect than others. There are sins that are “Root Sins” because they produce other sins. The Root Sin is sometime overlooked. We must be on alert for “Root Sins”!

UNBELIEF
Unbelief is a root sin, and always leads to other sins. “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest so that no one will fall by the following their example of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:11) Unbelief leads to disobedience, but saving faith produces works. (James 2:14-26) If faith produces works that please God then unbelief produces works that do not please God. When we understand this idea, we see there are more unbelievers than we may have realized.

IGNORANCE

This root sin does not live alone! God said, “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6) Ignorance always produces a denial of basic truths. “Jesus answered and said, “You are in error because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29) Their ignorance led to the denial of the resurrection of the dead and the power of God. Ignorance, as a root sin, produces false doctrine (Colossians 12:14 and Hebrews 10:9) about how to be saved, the church, and even worship.

ENVY

Envy is another root sin (James 3:13-18) It teaches, and produces many other sins. The fruit of envy includes: bitterness, strife, and confusion. It is no wonder that the Bible is so strong in it’s condemnation of envy. Joseph’s brothers envied Him, and just look where it lead. (Genesis 37:11 & f) The fruit that their envy produced is seen in the story, and we learn that the companions of envy are many. Don’t let it grow in your heart, it’s fruit will overwhelm you. Envy you see will stop at nothing (Matthew 27:18)

Some sin has a much broader effect, avoid root sins and you will be able to avoid many other sins. Put God in first place in your life, faithfully obey His will by staying far from sin!

2011-03-10T10:40:00.002-06:00

The Difficulty Of Trusting God
By:Garry Knighton
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We love repeatable phrases. "If you are going to talk the talk, you must walk the walk." Catchy! "God didn't create everything in one day." True! "Trust in God." Hey, we even have that one printed on our money (for now). We love to talk about trusting God.

You will notice every time we get ready to do something larger than normal, we talk about trusting God. "Let's evangelize Africa," someone says. "Great! Let's go for it." We present the idea to the church and tell them, "We must trust God to pull this off." This is so true. We must!
We started the CD ministry that has now gone world wide. People from everywhere are seeing and hearing the Gospel because of this work. What did we say? "Trust God!" And frankly, I believe we have and still are. This whole thing is running on trust. We live from hand to mouth in this ministry and just about the time the crumbs look like our next meal, along comes a biscuit. God is in control of the work and we want to leave Him right there in that position.

When we try and raise funds for this work outside of our congregation we often hear about trust. "Brother, you just have to trust God to provide." Hey, I know and understand that. I often want to reply, "I do. As a matter of fact I was talking to Him about funds last night and He told me I should talk to you." But, I contain myself. :-)
The work we do here with the CD Ministry, the Towel Ministry, the Men's and Women's Ministries and all the rest of them are done on faith. We are trusting God to lead and provide and He does that very well through the hands of His children like yourself.

It is easy to see a need to trust God when something bigger than ourselves is on the line. We build a building and say, "Let's trust God to help us." But, when is the last time we had an assembly and said, "Let's trust God to lead us this morning or this evening?" When is the last time we pondered a situation for which we are trained and experienced in handling and said, "Let's trust God to guide us in this matter?"

I remember kneeling in our living room one time in my whole life asking God to help us. It was during the Cuban missile crisis when we thought our nation was going to be under attack. It was funny how that kneeling only lasted as long as the crisis. We needed God to help us until we could get enough bomb shelters built in the neighborhood to protect us. Now, this may be an overstatement, but I doubt it.

Where is the trust in the smaller things of life? It is like saying to God, "God, I do not need you on this one. I can handle it myself." How sad we are when we assume God's role in our own lives. You cannot totally trust me. I am not flawless and I will let you down. I cannot totally trust you because of the same reasons. But, we can trust a flawless God without hesitation. He will not let us down.

So, whatever we do, whether great or small, let's put it in our mind to trust God to help us. If it is serving someone else, leading a song, teaching a class, visiting someone who is sick, speaking a word of encouragement, trust God for guidance. If we will put our trust in Him we will never be ashamed!

2011-03-09T13:51:00.001-06:00

GOD’S RECIPE FOR GOOD THOUGHTS

We must remember that everything we do, good or bad, begins with our thoughts.

Proverbs 23:7: For as He thinketh in his heart, so is he.
Psalms 51:10: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

The devil has raged a battle for the minds of men, women, boys, and girls for centuries. Today he is aided greatly by the mass media which often portrays unrealistic and unchristian views of life and distorted values. To whom will we surrender our minds? To God or satan. As an individual, as a church, and even as a nation, we progress or fall backward morally and spiritually, based on our thinking.

When God destroyed the world and all of mankind with a flood, it was because of man’s wickedness, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Gen. 6:5-7.

Paul said in Philippians 4:8, “Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
This verse about covers it all. Let’s take each point one at a time.

Whatsoever things are true: We need truth in word, Ephesians 4:25, in action, Colossians 3:17, and in thought, Ephesians 5:9. Lying will cause your life to fall apart. Lying caused David to suffer terrible guilt, II Samuel 11:12, Psalms 32:1-4. Ananias and Sapphira lost their very lives because of lying. Revelation 21:8 says all liars shall have their place in hell. “The lips of truth shall be established forever Proverbs 12:19. John 89:32, says “the truth shall set you free”. We must be truthful in all our activities of life even though it may sometimes hurt in the short run.

Whatsoever things are honest: In this passage it means honorable. Romans 13:13, says “Let us walk honestly, as in the day”. An honorable man is respected by all--friends and rivals alike.
Whatsoever things are righteous: Titus 2:12, says “teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.

Whatsoever things are just: Do we try to do the right thing all the time? 2 Peter 2:15

Whatsoever things are pure: We must have clean thoughts. Romans 12:21, says “be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

If we can follow Philippians 4:8 daily, and live a good Christian life, setting an example for others about us, maybe we can be able to say what Paul said near the end of this life in II Timothy 4:7-8.

2011-03-04T13:06:00.000-06:00

DO YOU KNOW THE BASICS?

Here is a brief list of what should constitute basic biblical literacy. This list is not meant to be exhaustive. The list is divided into three parts: (what you should remember) (what you should understand) (what you should be able to do)

FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Books of the Old and New Testament in order
2. The different classifications of biblical literature (history, poetry, prophecy, gospels, epistles)
3. The basic order of events of the Old and New Testament--who lived before whom, the basic outline of Jesus’ life, how the early church spread.
4. The names and deeds of major Old Testament figures--Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, Ester, Nehemiah.
5. The names and deeds of New Testament figures --John the Baptist, Jesus, the 12 apostles, Stephen, Paul, Barnabas, Aquila and Priscilla, Timothy)
6. The known authors of the New Testament books--Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul,James, and Jude.
7. The key elements of Biblical geography--rivers, mountains essential countries, regions.
8. The names of at least three translations of the Bible.
9. What one must do in order to be saved.

SCRIPTURES YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOCATE AND QUOTE FROM MEMORY:
1. Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17)
2. The 23rd Psalm
3. The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10)
4. The Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25)
5. The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)
6. The Great Commandments (Matthew 22:36-40)
7. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20)
8. The Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12)
9. The Golden Text (John 3:16,17)
10. The Christian Graces (2 Peter 1:5-8)
11. Acts 2:28
12. Hebrews 11:1
13. Philippians 2:3-8
14. Philippians 4:4-7
15. 1 Corinthians 13:1, 4-7,13
16. Ephesians 2:8-10
17. 1 John 1:5-7

SKILLS YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE:
1. Find any passage in the Bible quickly
2. Use a concordance of a marginal reference
3. Locate key points of biblical geography on a map

2011-03-02T10:44:00.001-06:00

One Man Sharpens The Other

Garry Knighton, Church of Christ, Shreveport, La.

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"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."(Proverbs 27:17)

Fellowship is perhaps one of the sweetest words ever invented. Most often, we take the term fellowship and wrap it in the context of some kind of "church" setting where we have a "fellowship meal," or "enjoy the fellowship" of an evening together and things of that nature. It is very true that the word fellowship works for all these things, but it is much broader than that.

The word "fellowship" comes from the Greek word KOINONIA. This is a very special word, and is used in such a broad range of thinking, it seems a shame to lock it down to only something we do when we are at the assembly and assembly-related functions together. This word is defined as these terms: communion, fellowship, sharing in common. This word is a form of the word KOINOS, which simply means to have something in common.

We've taken the term communion and used it almost totally in discussion and practice of the Lord's Supper. It's fine to call the Lord's Supper communion, as long as we know that the word is deeper, or may we say, broader than that.

For instance, when two of you have a Bible Study together, you could very easily use the word communion to illustrate the closeness and the commonness of the experience. Paul used it that way in the discussion of light and darkness as well as the Christians with the god Baal.

Fellowship, communion and sharing are concepts that envelope life. When someone is struggling with some situation in life and we lend ourselves for support, it is fellowship. When someone expresses a joy to you and shares some kind of good news with you, you are in fellowship.

Another way this word is used is the term partnership. Paul spoke to the brothers at Philippi about their "partnership" in the gospel. It's true that some of the Philippian brethren physically participated with Paul in the spreading of the gospel. They were there. They actually went with him. On the other hand, Paul made it very clear that their financial support for the work of spreading the Good News was also partnership, communion.

When we share with one another something we have, it is called fellowship, partnership or communion. This sharing might be financial. It could be a word of encouragement. It could very well be a loving, listening, supportive shoulder to cry on when you need one. It always involves someone else.

Then you take the concepts behind this word and apply them to God. Communion with God is not some church ritual that we plug into in an attempt to "fulfill" His requirements. The Lord's Supper, or communion, as we call it, is a time when we can sit down with the Lord and remember how He served us. We remember how He gave His body to serve us in sacrifice. We remember how He gave His blood to provide atonement for our sins, and how He served us in that selfless act of sacrifice. We then are stimulated to serve one another and continue the kind of fellowship that God continues to extend to us.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we need one another. We need to be the iron that sharpens our brother or our sister in the Lord. We need one another. There is no retreat. There is no place for selfishness and a self-serving spirit. We must grow to understand that we cannot "serve God" without loving and serving one another.

When people begin backing away from the assemblies they lose touch with the needs and the direction of their brothers. If we were together daily as the early Christians were, this would not be so true, but we are not... and that's a fact. We need each other. Not only that, we need each other's weaknesses as well as each other's strengths.

If we ever really capture the concept of fellowship and put it into practice the way the Lord practices it with us, we would be one united and powerful force on the earth to reckon with.

I know very few thieves who steal money and other tangible goods from others, but I do know a host of people who steal something more precious than gold almost every week of their lives. These robbers break in and steal fellowship every time they miss an opportunity to be together with those of like faith.

There has been a burning question since AD. 33: Do I have to attend all the assemblies to go to heaven? Will I go to hell if I don't. You've heard those questions and perhaps, you may have even asked them, but you see, they are the wrong questions. They are centered in YOU, not others. You might better ask it this way. "Would my soul be in jeopardy if I refuse my fellowship? There is only one answer!

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2011-03-01T10:48:00.001-06:00

Ministry is a Terrible Thing To Waste

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We have all heard the phrase, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." The same is true with ministry. We often sit idly by and allow our minds to become mush. They must be fed and they must be exercised. Ministry is the same way. For years, ministry has become mush in churches all over the world. We have waited and waited for someone to come along and "teach us" how to do it. We've hired professionals to come in and do it for us, and it still goes undone for the most part. Or, perhaps we are doing it and don't really know it.

Ministry is common. It is taking the things God has already gifted us to do and using them to His glory. Ministry is not as religious as we might suppose. It is ordinary. But, what makes it awesome is, empowered by God and exercised in His name, it becomes extraordinary. God can take the simplest of actions, on our part, to assist our fellow man, and turn them into issues that can reach across generations with their good. He is an awesome God.

The most important thing about ministry is God, not us. There are specific things like sharing the Word that need training, but for the most part, God has already put in us the things necessary for us to complete our job here. It is important to remember why we do what we do instead of just doing something. We should do what we do in His name and for His honor. It is easy to get caught up in doing things for others that highlights us. If we do for others and they think more of us than they do of God, something is wrong. God did not gift us for our glorification but for His.

Every day of our lives we are faced with opportunities to minister (serve) others and they often go unnoticed. We find ourselves wishing for training and expertise from others instead of desire and empowerment from God. God set us on a track in life, gifted us and has promised to be with us, empowering us to do those things which He has called us to do. He would not be so unfair to put us out among a sea of people and leave us on our own.

We are being called to open our eyes, not to look for opportunities, but to see those which are already around us. Helping others is a broad concept. How do I help others? What do I do? How long should I do it? These questions arise in our minds and we struggle with them because we are seeking self-empowerment. What I do depends on what needs doing. And, how it should be done would depend on the situation at hand. God will show us if we really want to know. How long it will take will depend on the severity of the situation and the willingness of the part of the servant and the one being served.

The Lord's Supper was left for us to remember how Jesus served us. The bread, which represents His body, "given for you," and the cup, representing His blood, "given for you," is a reminder for us to give ourselves for others. Sure we remember in this that Christ died for us, but if we fail to remember the why, and the fact that it was "for us," we will miss the point. Every time we partake we are called to remember to serve and to honor His service to us. Few would rarely forget that He died for us. But, we often forget to serve others. As a gravestone reminds us of the person and the life of one who has gone on before, the Supper is a memorial to remind us that He served us so we are to serve others.

Ministry can be embedded deeply in the Word, teaching and admonishing each other in the principles of God. But it can also be lending an ear to someone who just needs to talk. It can be as common as helping a young, struggling mother with her children or with overwhelming responsibilities. It can be a pie baked and delivered in the name of God Almighty to someone who needs their spirits lifted and needs to know that someone is thinking about them. It can be as ordinary as stopping on the side of the road to give a lift or change a tire or take someone to get gasoline. It can be as ordinary as taking food to someone who is overwhelmed with grief at the loss of a loved one. It could be slipping someone a few dollars to help them make it to the next pay period or to get the gas or electricity turned back on. The list could be endless and could be named among the things already being done.

But one thing that is different is that it is done in the name of Christ... no strings attached. Do it because we love Jesus first and the person we are helping second. Let Christ shine. Let others know that God has blessed us and all we are doing is passing on the blessing. God will be glorified and the ordinary service we render will become EXTRAORDINARY as it is empowered by God. God will then use these efforts to grow His Kingdom in His own time, at His own pace and in His own way. But whatever we do, we must constantly remember that "Ministry is a terrible thing to waste.”

Garry Knighton, Church of Christ North, Shreveport, Louisiana

2011-02-28T10:34:00.002-06:00

BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND

A policeman who spends a great deal of his time looking for lost children said that when he begins to look he always goes in the direction in which the wind was blowing at the time. Now, that may sound strange, but his explanation really makes sense.

You see, the wind blows and catches many things in its path and takes them with it. It might be a balloon, a handkerchief, a napkin, or just some bright leaves; but it catches the eyes of a child. This child will run after this thing and, sooner or later, will find that he is lost, not remembering which way he had come or simply not thinking he continues in the same direction that the wind is blowing.

The experiences of this policeman is to continue in the direction of the wind. Many times the answers or the child himself will be found that way.

People who go through life in whichever way the wind is blowing are trying to take the easy way out. They do not want to make their own decisions. They do not have any of their own convictions for which they are willing to fight. Theirs is the chicken way out.

This way of approaching life is very well illustrated by the young man who was hitch-hiking. He had painted a sign which told the story, not only of his present situation, but most probably of his entire life. The sign which he held up to passers-by read: ANYWHERE. This young man had already arrived at his destination and did not even know it.

Going through life with no direction and convictions about the path does not take very much fortitude. Once these are a part of your journey, very little will stand in the way. Consider that today!

The Richmond Messenger

2011-02-25T13:22:00.001-06:00

The Writing Is On the Wall

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In Daniel chapter five there was a happening, the like of which has never been seen again. The king of Babylon, Belshazzar, was throwing a great banquet. In his exuberance to humiliate the Jews, he ordered the holy vessels that his father, Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple of God to be brought before him. With a thousand of his nobles present, he began his feast.

To drink from these holy vessels was an utter disgrace to the Jews. As Belshazzar and his companions continued their party, God intervened. From out of nowhere a hand came down and began to write on the wall before them. Belshazzer was so terrified that his knees became weak, knocked together and finally gave way. There was no doubt. . .he was frightened.

As they pondered the situation, Belshazzar sought to find the meaning of the words inscribed on the wall. With no success, he was instructed to call in God's prophet Daniel.

With great caution, Daniel gave the meaning of the writing. As he interpreted the event, he let the king know that God would not allow something holy to be defiled without punishment. In verse twenty-two he rebuked the king for his pride. Next he said, ". . .you have set yourself up against the Lord of Heaven..."

As they conversed, he gave the meaning of the writing, "MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN." MENE - God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. TEKEL - you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. PARSIN - your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. That very night the king died and another world power took over.

God is not pleased when something holy is defiled. He no longer has holy cups, bowls, candlesticks and such. He now has vessels that are of far greater value. He has made us His vessels. Paul said in I Corinthians 6, that the Spirit of God dwells in us. God only dwells in what He has made holy. You and I are the holy vessels of God.

Since this is true, we should never lose sight of the need of purity. Jesus said that we are blessed when we are pure in heart. For it is the pure in heart who will see God.

When we use our lives in pride, as Belshazzer used the temple vessels, we defy God. We take something holy and treat it as if it were common. When we hurt one another, we desecrate something that God has made holy. If He caused a nation to lose its status as a world power, how will He view me if I act in an unholy manner?

We have a great responsibility to one another as the vessels of God. We have the responsibility to honor and protect, keeping one another in tip-top condition in order to serve the Master. God made us holy. We must not defile what He has made!

Garry Knighton, Church of Christ North, Shreveport, La.

2011-02-24T10:55:00.002-06:00

Departing From The Living God

Philip B. Box, Minister

Man has seldom stayed faithful to God for very long. This was true in Adam’s day. It was true in Noah’s day. It was true of mankind when Jesus walked on the earth, and it is also true of people today. It is no wonder that God warned through the writer of Hebrews. “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12) Both our spiritual life, and the church are exposed to change and sometime need change. Not all change is good however; some change is simply a “departing from the living God.”

What causes people to depart from the living God? Often change comes so slowly it is not even detected until it is too late spiritually. Most do not “run” away from God’s truth, they simply “drift” in the wrong direction. (Hebrews 2:1) The moment we close our Bible is the moment we will begin to drift from God.

One sign of departing from God is the development of a critical spirit. It is strange but those that leave God are often very “critical” of others for being “unloving.”

Departing is also marked by a lack of appreciation for Biblical truth. Many do not respect, appreciate, nor love God’s truth. (John 8:32)

Departing from God causes people to want the world instead of Christ. The Bible says, “If any man loves the world the love of the father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15-17)

Departing blinds spiritual eyes. People begin to say, “I can see anything wrong with _______” (and they fill in the blank with anything.)

Departing also leads to lukewarmness. God hates the spirit of spiritual laziness that is seen among many. (Revelation 3:14-19)

What is the cure for those that have departed from God? To reverse the departures: Take heed to yourself and make sure of your salvation. (Hebrews 3:12). Remember what it was like to follow the Bible whole-heartedly. Those preachers that have changed should remember the joy they had in preaching “gospel sermons.” (2 Timothy 4:1-5). If any love for truth still burns in your heart fan the flame. Let us take our stand on truth. (Ephesians 4:15). Get busy in the kingdom. We are saved to serve. (John 4:35), and be Christ-like. Those that have the desire of going to heaven will walk with the Lord. (Galatians 2:20)

Those that do the Lord's commandments will be blessed with an entrance into heaven, and with the tree of life. (Revelation 22:14) To become a Christian, you must hear the gospel (Romans 10:17), believe in Jesus (Mark 16:16), repent of sins (Acts 17:30), confess faith in Christ (Romans 10:9-10) and be baptized to be saved (Acts 2:38). After baptism be careful that you do not depart from God, but faithfully obey His will each day!

2011-02-23T10:43:00.000-06:00

ARE YOU ‘HIGH MAINTENANCE’?

A blessing enjoyed in Christ is support from brethren in times of spiritual crisis. Those who are strong are to support the weak (Ro. 15:1)We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.Those who are spiritual are to help those overcome in a fault (Gal. 6:1). It is part of the "law of Christ" to thus bear one another’s burdens (Gal.6:2).Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

At the same time we have a responsibility to become strong. Each Christian has a responsibility to "bear his own load" (Gal. 6:4-5)..But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For each one shall bear his own load. We will be accountable for our own actions (Rom. 14:12).So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. It is thus our responsibility to pick ourselves up as well. (Heb. 12:12-13).Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. Some Christians never seem to progress from being supported to supporting themselves. They remain very dependent upon their brethren. Unless constantly nurtured by brethren, they fall away or become apathetic. Such brethren are what might be described in the vernacular as "high maintenance".

Are you "high maintenance"? In everyday life this means someone or thing which requires a lot of attention. Christians who are high maintenance require a lot of attention in order to remain faithful. They require a lot of coddling or pampering to be active Christians, attending and working in the church only when constantly prodded.

Even churches can be high maintenance. The church in Corinth certainly was (I Cor. 3:1-4, 2 Cor. 12-20-21).And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal? For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; 21 lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced. The church in Phillipi was not. (Phil. 1;3-7)I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; 7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. High maintenance is crucial for the newborn Christian, who is new in the faith and very susceptible. Without proper attention, they may soon be overcome. High maintenance is essential for the hurting Christian, whether it be physical illness, or emotional turmoil.(I Thess. 5:14)

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. We can overcome high maintenance by individual growth. When we study and grow strong we will no longer need it, when we can become the providers, not the recipients. Consider the unfortunate case of the Hebrew Christians (Heb. 5:12-14)For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Strength from our brethren is certainly helpful when we need it, but we should also reach a point where our strength comes from God. And we can become the producers, not just the consumers. Consider the remarkable example of the apostle Paul Phil 4:11-13; Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ[who strengthens me. (2 Cor. 1:3–6) since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified

2011-02-23T10:39:00.002-06:00

And The Thunder Rolls...
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As I write this there is an awesome electrical and thunder storm raging outdoors. The rain has been tremendous, falling as if it were in sheets being dropped one right after another. The thunder rattles windows and the lightning makes you nearly jump out of your shoes. Some parts of the area are getting pelted by hail, as if the rain were not enough. And do you know what? I love it! I don’t particularly like being wet, but wet is what you get when you love the rain.

It was the thunderstorm that made me want to write this. It reminds me of various Scriptures in the Bible that describe in some kind of form we can understand what the activity is like around the throne of God. Lightning and rumblings were very often closely associated with a throne scene. God likes the rumble and the flash.

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.” (Isaiah 6:1-4)

The awesome nature of God stands out in His presence. There cannot be quietness, unless He is about to pass judgment on a nation. When heaven gets quiet, something is about to happen to someone somewhere.

How awesome and terrifying it must have been standing at the foot of that mountain when Moses was up there in God’s presence. How taken back Isaiah must have been when He witnessed “The Lord of Host” in the passage above. All he could do was look at himself and see that he did not fit in the picture. “I am a man of unclean lips,” he cried.

Being in the presence of God should make us take a good, hard, close look at ourselves. We often think we are pretty good, but standing up next to His holiness paints a whole different picture.

Do you know what is even more remarkable about Isaiah’s experience? Later in the Bible, in the book of John, John writes to his audience concerning some of the folks who were having a difficult time believing on Jesus and quotes some of the verses from Isaiah’s experience in Isaiah chapter 6. After the quote John gives this commentary: “These things said Isaiah, because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.” (John 12:41)

This same God, “the Lord,” mentioned in Isaiah 6:1 is identified as Jesus Christ by the Apostle John. Now, this same Jesus Christ has taken up residence on His throne and that throne is in our heart. He dwells in us. Awesome! Therefore, there should be some sense of awesomeness in us constantly. This powerful, all knowing God lives in us. Somehow that should be a humbling experience. There is nowhere we can go and nothing that we can do that does not include the God of the universe. It is a huge responsibility for us to correct our steps and keep our lives in check.

And, do you know what? Just like the thunder is rumbling right now and the lightning is flashing, God just may decide to do the same thing through you when He touches the lives of those to whom you minister. You may not see it or hear it, but the power can move people just the same. And when it happens, it will not be you. It will be God working through you. What an awesome thought.

So, next time you hear the thunder and see the lightning in a storm, just remember that the same God who shook the doorpost of the temple by just making His arrival is in you and you and I are a vessel of a precious cargo. There is power within us!

Garry Knighten, Church of Christ North, Shrevveport, LA.

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2011-02-22T10:35:00.001-06:00

King Saul Had It All

King Saul had it all! Perhaps no other person in the Bible had as much going for him and as many opportunities to succeed in life than did he. He had a good body, a good mind, good training, courage, leadership skills, generosity and forbearance. Most important of all he had God's favor and God's promise of success.

Saul blew it all! He not only missed his great opportunities in life, he deliberately abused them. The tragic story of his life is recorded in I Samuel 9-31.

Saul was anointed by Samuel as God's chosen King. He was filled with the Holy Spirit (I Samuel 10:22,27;11:12-13.)

With the passing of time Saul lost his humility and his self-control In his pride he disobeyed God on several occasions, made rash vows, and became consumed with a cold hearted jealousy. He made several enraged attempts to kill David, his successor and a man after God's own heart. After staining his hands with the blood of many innocent people, he stained them with his own blood by ending his life in suicide. Thus after destroying his moral life Saul finally destroyed his physical life.

Saul's tragic story is repeated daily. The people, places and circumstances are different but the results are the same. The tragedy of Saul and of all others who walk in his steps in such moral, physical and eternal destruction is so needless.

2011-02-18T10:51:00.002-06:00

LACK OF KNOWLEDGE

Lack of knowledge is the main reason for all the unscriptural changes and practices taking place in the Lord’s Church.

Hosea 4:6 says "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."

The question is : if there is one church in the New Testament times, why do we have so many denominations today?

The apostle Paul prophesied in II Thessalonians 2:3-10

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
II Corinthians 11:13-14: warns also against "False apostles and deceitful words.
Colossians 2:8,20, 21 , 11 Galatians 1:7-9

Paul again warns another gospel preacher in: I Timothy 4:1-3 Now the spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth

These prophesies came true with the founding of the Roman Catholic church. The pope in the Roman Catholic church has put himself on a throne as a "GOD". The first pope recorded was Boniface III who was in 606 a.d. He claimed to be infallible in his decisions, being the supreme head and having all authority and power. Other popes had such divine titles as Our Lord, God the Pope and another God on Earth.

Whether it’s the long distant past or today, an ignorance of the word of God is the basis by which God’s people shall live or die.

The world is not divided because of what the Bible says, but what it does not say.

2011-02-11T11:00:00.002-06:00

NEVER LOOK BACK
Tim Gunnells

Perhaps the first thought some of you have as you read this is “remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32). Here, Jesus is recalling the plight of Lot and his family as they fled from Sodom (a place they never should have been). The original story is recorded in Genesis 19. Lot and his family were told to flee Sodom before it was destroyed. They were told not to look back, but Lot’s wife did, and she was turned into a pillar of salt.

Looking back to an old way of life, and even worse, turning back to an old way of life can be disastrous. “Remember Lot’s wife.” Never look back!

There is someone else in the Bible who talked about never looking back in a different light. The Apostle Paul in Philippians 3 told of his previous life in Judaism. He told of his former status and notoriety, but not with great pride because he counted his past accomplishments as “rubbish”.

Here is some of what he had to say: “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Looking back with fondness on our life is fine, but spiritually speaking, we must always look ahead, if we hope to grow in our faith. So I say, never look back! Always reach forward!

2011-02-10T11:19:00.001-06:00

Every Morning is a New Day

Shawn Hart. Garden Valley church of Christ

Every morning we wake up, we have a yet another beginning opportunity with God. We have a fresh day to sit up out of our beds, place our feet on the floor, and set in our hearts the need to follow the will of God. As we approach another New Year celebration, we learn through this passage, that we face another year in a world that does not comprehend the true nature of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ...the light in the darkness! So who are we then? Well, we are the torch bearers of that light. We are the chosen ones that have been blessed with the joy of sharing the Good News of Jesus to the world. We are the Children of the Cross; those elect few that have been entrusted with the Message of Salvation.

This year I encourage us all to realize how significant a role we play in this thing we call life. For most of the world, they have not accepted the true will of God because Satan has twisted their hearts, and made them believe that they could find happiness and safety in this earthly realm. He did it with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when he tempted them with the forbidden fruit, and he is still walking the earth deceiving the nations today. But God has prepared His people to become warriors of truth and righteousness. He has given us His Holy Word to equip us with all the necessary weapons that are needed to combat the Devil. We are the Army of the Lord; shining His powerful light into this world of darkness: marching proud against the armies of Darkness, proud to testify the glory of his power.

Take this year as an opportunity to shine the Light of Jesus Christ to those around you. Take it to your jobs: take it to your schools: fill it through the rooms of your homes. If you are reading this today, it means that you still have time to share Christ with someone. Let's not waste these opportunities.

2011-02-09T11:33:00.001-06:00

ARE YOU OUT OF SYNC?
By: Paul Faulkner

A biblical character that touches me is David. He touches me because I see myself so plainly in him--a fellow who messes up. He made so many mistakes and, yet, the Bible says, “…he was a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). And, oh how I hope that I can just have his heart. David’s attitude of heart is obvious in Psalm 51. It just twists your heart and breaks it. That’s what God wants to do, you know. He wants to break your heart. He wants to get right down there with you and adjust your attitude.

David says, “God, against you, you only, have I sinned” (Psalm 51:4). Well, David, didn’t you sin against this man when you killed him? Didn’t you sin against this woman, Bathsheba? But you see, David hit it right at the core of the problem. If you never sin against God, you don’t have to worry about your fellowman.

The “big” sin is against God. If you get right with God, and your heart is right with Him, you don’t have to worry about having a problem with other people, it will take care of itself.

And that is where I find myself and you probably find yourself. Is your heart right with God? If so, you are likely right with your family, friends, and co-workers, too. If your attitudes rebel against God, you’re likely “out of sync” with those around you as well. It’s a direct parallel. It’s up to you to change your life.
It’s up to you to make things right when things go wrong, and God has given you the power to do it

2011-02-08T11:15:00.001-06:00

STARS

Brian Pannell, West Main church of Christ, Medford

In the car this morning I heard a commercial I hadn't heard since I was a kid. The Star Registry was advertising that you could "buy a star" for someone you loved. Apparently they send you a map of some type, you pick a yet "unnamed star" and for a small fee you get to name that star for someone special.
That's right, then from here to eternity that star "belongs" to them.

I remember as a child thinking how cool this sounded! I also remember as a teen thinking how goofy this sounded. Today I had a new thought: How arrogant this sounded! Who is man that we think we have the right to claim a star? Who are we to stake ownership in the infinite creation of God? How arrogant to think we can map the stars, yet alone name them.

Only God can make such a claim. Psalm 147:4 says "He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them." Do you know how big that is? In 1993 scientists said that there were 70 sextillion stars in the visible universe, or some 70 thousand million million million. That’s a 7 followed by 22 zeros! And those are just the ones within range of our telescopes.

Can you grasp that? We serve a HUGE God. SO big in fact that He actually knows the number of stars and has each one named! That puts everything in perspective for me. There are days when I feel so small. There are times I feel alone. There are times that we all feel helpless. But we should not! The God and creator of the stars also knows OUR name and stands behind us, holding us up and pressing us forward.

Next time you look into the heavens on a clear Oregon night and you gaze upon the North Star, the Big Dipper or even Orion, remember who put them there. Remember who named them. Remember how big your God is. And then, remember that He is right there beside you, in your life, and in your heart.

2011-02-07T12:55:00.001-06:00

USED TO IT?
In his work, Memoirs from the House of the Dead, Fyodor Dostoevsky remarked that, “Man is a creature who can get used to anything.” This is a startling and bone-chilling assessment. The truth of the statement is backed up and proven by human history. Consider, for example, the atrocities committed against mankind during World War II in the Nazi concentration camps. The senseless murder and torture of millions of men, women and children is well documented.

Victor Franki, a holocaust survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning, recalls the way in which his peers became desensitized to the brutality around them. The same process was done repeatedly. When someone was new to a concentration camp they would at first be confused. “Where am I? Why am I here? Through all this confusion, they would hold out hope that they would soon be rescued and soon be reunited with their loved ones. Also in these early stages, they would recoil in honor and dismay when they saw fellow prisoners being tortured and beaten. They simply could not stand to see a camp mate being abused.

Soon the horror would turn to hum-drum. The amazement would turn to apathy. The prisoners reached a point where they had seen so much pain, sorrow, and suffering that they were no longer affected by it. Their hearts were not affected no matter how brutal the scene.

What a pitiful situation. Men and women had seen so much violence and bloodshed that they no longer cared. They got used to it. Certainly there is an important lesson here for us. We must be alert. We must be guarding our hearts and minds. It may just be a case that, like Israel before us, we are getting used to sin.

Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time I punish them, they shall be cast down. Says the lord” (Jeremiah 6:15). Don’t get used to sin! Just because we are bombarded with worldliness and sin constantly does not give us an excuse to become apathetic to those things. God still expects His children to talk, dress, act and think differently then the world. Man can get use to anything. Have we gotten used to sin?

Jordan Edwards, Garden Valley church of Christ

2011-02-03T11:13:00.001-06:00

Let All That you Do Be Done in Love
By: George Bryan

Love is really the summation of all that we do. It is to be a mark, or a token, by which Christians maybe distinguished from those of the world. These distinguishing features do not just refer to dress or speech, but also to actions. They refer to a way of life. As our Lord confirmed, love is our badge of discipleship. Therefore, it just follows that those who do not love properly do not display to the world the mark, or token of Christians. Those who do not love are not genuine disciples because they are not following the Lord’s command.

The apostle Paul exhorted the Corinthians to be sure that love was involved in all that they did in order for their salvation to be secure. Notice his words in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3:”Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” Notice the importance that Paul placed on love here. He said that though he should be able to speak all the tongues known to men or angels, that would not insure his salvation unless he possessed the attribute of love.

Judas Iscariot possessed the power to work miracles, just as the other apostles did (Matt. 10:1), but he did not posses love, and what happened? The Bible says that he betrayed the Lord, and went to his own place (Acts 12;25). The love that Jesus is referring to is expressed in the concern and interest for God, our fellow men, and the lost.

Even when we oppose false doctrine and impure living (and we MUST do so), love must be our motive in doing so (II Timothy 4:1-5). We must oppose these things because we love God, and because we love our fellow man and are concerned about his salvation. So many times we fail to reach others with the Gospel simply because we neglect this very principle, but, there is no room for hate in the heart of a Christian - except toward evil (Hebrews 1:9).

We are to love God supremely, and love our neighbor as ourselves (Matt.22:35-40). We must let love prompt us in our teaching, preaching, and caring for the needy, visiting the sick, and in faithfully attending the services of the church (Matt. 25:31-46).

Col. 3:17
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all the in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

2011-02-02T11:09:00.001-06:00

I Once Heard a Story I Will Always Remember
Brian Pannell, West Main Church of Christ Medford, OR

I once heard a story that I still remember. It took place at a small county church revival meeting. It had been powerful, and many had found faith. At the end of the week, the preacher said: “Is the person who most influenced you in becoming a Christian here? Maybe it’s a parent, youth minister, Sunday school teacher, minister, or neighbor. I’d like you all to go and shake hands with the one who most influenced you to follow Christ.” All over the auditorium people went and encouraged one another. They thanked each other. Many went to parents. Others went to teachers, and ministers. The longest line, though, formed in front of an elderly lady in the church. She’d never taught a class or filled any leadership role in the congregation, but for years her quiet life of service had touched more people than anyone else! In worship, in her home, and in the town, she had led many to Christ, many times unknowingly, just by living a righteous and loving life.

This is a powerful example of a godly life! This kind of life may convert someone when sermons and studies may not. It is the consistent acting out of faith and living of a truly changed life that will lead our kids to Jesus. Maybe teaching isn’t your thing. So what? If you live a faithful, devoted life of service to the lord, you will have a wholesome influence on all of those around you!

Let us all take advantage of opportunities to encourage those who have been a good influence on us in our lives. This family is full of people who have lived lives modeled on Jesus. Let us all strive to be that for our next generation.

Matthew 5;16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

2011-02-01T12:35:00.001-06:00

HOW WILL YOU VOTE?

Almost every year we have city, state, and national elections of some sort. This is important, but there is a more important issue to vote for as citizens of the Kingdom of God.

Each time there is an assembly of God’s people, you are casting your vote. We want to once again give our appreciation and praise to all of those who seem to never, or hardly ever, miss the assemblies. It is their conviction to be here every time and they cast their vote YES to the assemblies of the church, all of them!

WHEN YOU MISS AN ASSEMBLY, YOU ARE VOTING NO!

If you become consistent in your absence, you send even a stronger message. You are saying “No, Bible study is not important.” You are telling teachers that they are NOT appreciated and they are wasting their time. You are voting NO to the good that comes from assembling together

You are voting NO to God’s worship. You are voting NO to encouragement and edification. You are saying NO to the wishes of the Lord! Yet, you have deceived yourself in to thinking that you can continue to say No to God and His Son and in the judgment, they will say YES to you. Why do you allow Satan to fill your heart with such a lie?

What is YOUR vote on the assemblies of God’s people?

Taken from the Evergreen Bulletin

2011-01-31T11:30:00.001-06:00

IS IT EVER RIGHT TO JUDGE?
Darrell Powell

“Don’t judge me!” You hear it on television, at work, at school, and just about anywhere you turn. The universal defense for any action seems to the quotation of Matthew 7:1, “Judge not that you be not judged.” This Bible statement makes it clear that some types of judging are wrong. No man is a judge in the sense that he can pass judgment, or sentence3, on someone else in the spiritual sense. But, we will all give an account, and God will judge us (1 Peter 4:5). Let us study together what the Bible says about our judging others.

Jesus did not condemn all judging. John 7:24 says “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with a righteous judgment.” The Bible has been given to us as a standard for living, and as a tool that points out the spiritual needs of our fellow man. We are not to lie in wait for others to stumble, just we can ”judge” them. But when we see that one is struggling, it is our Christians duty to “restore him: (Gal. 6:1). And how can we do that unless we first judge whether or not that person is in need of restoration. In Matthew 7, we are told that we can “know” men by their fruits. Just as we can determine what kind of person someone is by their actions. So, the Bible teaches that in some instances, for the right reasons, Christians are to participate in a form of judging.

Many times in the Bible, Jesus’ disciples judged others, John judged Diotrephes, saying he would bring to Diotrephes’ mind the deeds he had don (III John 9:10). Paul said to judge a heretic, or a divisive person, ”Knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned” (Titus 3;10). As we see here, this person’s own character condemns him, and it is evident what kind of person he is. So, there is obviousneed for Christians to judge righteous judgment (John 7:24). All those who would “judge” must always remember the reasons for doing so. One must never to it for any kind of pleasure, but always in love, for the hope that it would bring about repentance.

2011-01-28T10:19:00.001-06:00

WORSHIP
Ronnie Young

We should never underestimate the importance God places upon worship. Let us make a careful observation in the very beginning of this discussion; God does not need to worship man, man needs to worship God. It is therefore essential that man understands clearly what God requires and expects in worship to Him.

It is Jesus who made this statement to the Samaritan woman, “True worshipers MUST worship in spirit and in truth,” John 4:23-24. This statement makes it very clear there is a way God expects us to worship Him.

The way is God’s way based upon the truth revealed to us in His word. This apparently is a difficult concept for any to comprehend and certainly willing to implement. Man has pursued ways to worship God based upon what pleases man without any consideration to what pleases God . The actions send a clear message regarding the importance and respect man has for God’s word.

Some of the programs man has adopted in the guise of religious worship lends one to believe religion is attempting to compete with Hollywood for the best entertainment of the year award. It is not uncommon to see plays orchestrated in the worship services, and recognition and honoring individuals or groups of people during worship services. Add to this the music ensemble, oftentimes appearing almost as a full orchestra, with specialized singing groups, and you have a full course of entertainment complete with applause and standing ovations.

Church entertainment is certainly on the increase. The apparent marketing philosophy to attract more church goers, and be more competitive with other groups is to place or emphasis on entertainment. The news media is now giving their accolades and awards to the best T. V. Evangelist programs.

It is interesting to observe, in the midst of all this, the Bible gives no authority for any of the entertainment items to be used in the worship service. “Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” is the biblical instructions. Ephesians 5:19. The heart is our instrument and with OUR voices we teach and admonish one another, singing our praises to the Lord. Col. 3:16. Through the principle of exclusion, the commandment to sing eliminates playing instruments or other forms of entertainment.

Jesus made this observation of the Pharisees in his day: “These people draw near to me with their mouth; and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Mat. 15:8-9

This is certainly applicable to us today. It is our commitment, at the Elba Church of Christ, to worship God His way, in spirit and in truth. Man’s way is seriously unimportant, and with all sincerity lead those who follow completely away from God.

2011-01-27T11:21:00.001-06:00

ETERNAL SECURITY
Ronnie Young

We are all concerned about our security, especially since 9-11-2001--the terrorists’ successful assault against our country.

We are concerned about our job security. Many have lost their jobs due to downsizing and company closings. We are concerned about financial security, our ability to provide for our families, especially as we grow older. We are concerned about our personal security and the security from harm and abuse of our family members.

There are valid and very serious concerns for each of us. The uncertainty of security looms even greater today than most of us have ever experienced. Doubts and fears occupy more and more of the thought process robbing us of time needed in more productive areas.

Yet, there is an area of security far greater than any of the foregoing concerns, and that is, of course, our eternal security. John recorded these most comforting and encouraging words of Jesus in John 10:27ff: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.”

The promise of eternal security is available for each of us and all who will be obedient to God’s Word. Most of us will never be in a position to control what happens around us or what others may do to us, but we can control our relationship to God, and determine our “eternal security.”

2011-01-26T14:26:00.001-06:00

God’s Word Studied and Taught
By: Tom Maddox

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”

While I would immediately confess my failure to be diligent in this regard, I certainly would not argue with the importance of the admonition to teach. Teaching God’s word is one of the most important things we can do. In 2 Timothy 3:15, Paul told Timothy, “From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which ware able to make you wise for salvation.” Timothy was taught by his mother and grandmother from his childhood, but what happens when God’s word is not studied and taught? The Bible tells us in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.”

Bill Beck would often remind us that we were to study to attain knowledge and to pray for the wisdom to apply it correctly. There is no shortcut for attaining the knowledge. 2 Timothy 2:15 begins with the word “study” and continues with the benefit of that study: “To show thyself approved.”

Why do people fall away? Listen to Hebrews 3:12: “Beware brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.” How do we build our faith so we will not have “an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God”? Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” And as James 1:21 says, “Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” Only by knowing God’s word can our children and our souls be saved.

Make time in your busy life to study God’s word. If you have children, please help them see the importance of knowing God’s word. Take advantage of Bible study classes at church. If you teach, be diligent in your own study and preparation. AND, if you teach: Thank you! We appreciate and commend our Bible class teachers.

2011-01-25T10:58:00.001-06:00

Just Open the Doors and They Will Come
By: George Bryan

How many times have you heard someone say that evangelism is just not necessary? How many times have you heard someone say (in effect), “just open the door and they will come”? This sounds a lot like a movie release from some years ago. In that instance, it really worked very well, but in real life it just simply will NOT work. In real life, we must work to take the Gospel to others. The truth of the matter is they will not just come simply because the doors are open. If we want others to know the Truth, then we MUST take the Truth to them.

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

Notice also the words of James 2:14-17: “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? If a brother of sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, ‘depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled,’ not withstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works is dead being alone.”

I believe the words of the Apostle Paul from Romans 10:14-15 put everything in perspective for us: “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? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THEM THAT PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, AND BRING BLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!”

And finally, we should always be aware of the consequences of NOT evangelizing. May we always keep in mind the words of Ezekiel 3:17-19: “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, “Thou shalt surely die,’ and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life, the same wicked man shall died in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou has delivered thy soul.”

We have been commanded to take the Gospel to others. If we fail to do so, then God will surely hold us responsible for our lack of action. May we all be diligent in our efforts to evangelize the world, beginning with our local community.

2011-01-24T13:35:00.002-06:00

Our Responsibility

Ronnie Young

It is important to constantly remind each of us of this responsibility. To stir up implies a continuous activity of mixing, rearranging, and sorting ingredients that promote love and good works. When we prepare a meal, we do not simply pour all of our ingredients into a container and leave them alone. Certainly not! We continuously mix, measure, and watch carefully as the items cook into a finished product.

The same can be said about Christians. The ingredients we use are very important if we want to have the desired product. Let us consider and ask ourselves: Am I presently stirring up love and promoting good works by my current activities and actions?

Someone has said, and rightfully so, our actions speak louder than words. It only takes a few moments to send a message of encouragement. It only takes a few moments to exemplify our good works. It also only takes a few moments to destroy our influence and relationship with others.

Remember that God has blessed us with our abilities. Let’s not be hesitant to demonstrate our love for each other and encourage good works among the brethren.

James 2:20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

Acts 10:34-35 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation, whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

Luke 6:46-49 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like. He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. and when the flood rose, the stream beat vehemently agains that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great."

2011-01-21T13:26:00.001-06:00

Getting the Most out of Reading
Pam Crittenden

While reading, I conjure up pictures in my head; therefore, concise descriptive writings (not too tedious) are important to my enjoyment of books--mysteries, biographies, history, the Bible.

For example, can’t you just see Jesus getting exasperated as you read Mark 8:12. The Pharisees are disputing Jesus, and seeking a sign, testing Him. He answered them this way, “But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”

We don’t have a description of Jesus in the Bible, understandably so. We do have descriptions of others, such as Saul, David, Samson, Peter, Esther, and Rachel. While some of the descriptions are not detailed, their character and dispositions are well documented, which can certainly help to picture them. For instance, Saul, David, and Samson, were all described as handsome. Because Peter was bold and aggressive, it is easy to assume he was at least fairly robust. By contrast, I have never pictured Paul as robust because of his “thorn of the flesh; however, he certainly had to have a lot of stamina and determination to endure the hardships he faced. It is easy to picture John the Baptist as a rugged wilderness man in his camel hair and leather clothing.

We have beautiful comforting descriptions of what heaven will be like in Isaiah 35, John 14:1-3, Revelation 21 and 22, that have inspired glorious hymns. Teresa Kimbel, in “Seed to the Sower” said: “We talk about getting our troubling spiritual questions answered when we reach heaven, but when I’m safe in the Father’s arms for eternity, I don’t figure on having any more troubling questions.”

We also have vivid terrifying descriptions of hell in Mark 9:46-48, Matthew 25:41, 46, Matthew 12:42,50, and 2 Thess. 1:7-9. We have a tract titled “Scared of the Dark” by Allen Webster, which points out that aside from the fire and heat that is not quenched, and the worms that do not die, it will be forever dark. Dawn will never come, we cannot switch on a light. We will be totally alone, isolated in the dark, not just dark, but total blackness forever.

2011-01-20T12:22:00.001-06:00

None of Self
By Bette Ham

When Anna asked me to write a column for the bulletin, I confess my mind drew a complete blank.

I began to consider the many, many weaknesses and faults I have as a Christian. I decided selfishness is one of the “biggies” for me, and so I chose this subject for my brief words. This is just another of the very human qualities I battle every day and I am reminded of Paul’s comment to the Corinthians at the end of chapter 9 where he states he “fights” to keep himself from yielding to “normal wants” and desires of his body ( a form of selfishness) when it is contrary to the will of Christ. In verse 27 he says, “But I keep under (buffet) my body; and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” Not meaning to compare myself to Paul, I battle also every day those things that “pull” me the most, and selfishness is one of them. If I am not very careful, I find myself thinking primarily of “I, Me, and Mine”. Again, Paul said in Philippians 3, “Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.” This too is much easier to say than to practice… at least for me.

There is a song we often sing with a powerful meaning: “None of Self and All of Thee.” The first verse arrogantly says to Jesus “All of self, and none of Thee”; the second verse, recognizing His great sacrifice for us, changes to a reluctant, “Some of self and some of Thee”, and finally, when conquered by the wonderful love of the Savior, verse four triumphantly says, “None of self, and all of Thee.” As you can see this is a “growing process”, and is the goal I fervently strive for. Perhaps you do as well.

I cannot discuss this subject without a mention of my mother. She was undoubtedly the most completely unselfish person I have ever known. She was the epitome of unselfishness. We were raised in the country in the after math of the’29 depression, having almost nothing of this world’s goods. However, I remember that nobody among our many relatives, the neighbors, or hungry strangers ever faced a need of any kind but that my mother was there to help. There was no task too menial for her to step right in with love and a smile and do whatever she could. She fed any and all hungry or needy passersby (sometimes called Hobos) with whatever we had ourselves. There are so many memories of the things she did for others, always without a thought for herself, that I cannot put them all down in this article. Just suffice to say that I will always thank God for the wonderfully unselfish person she was and the example she was to me.

2011-01-19T13:21:00.001-06:00

FAITH IN OUR CEO
Tom Maddox

Hypothetical:

A person is hired by a large corporation to do an important, but not too difficult job. The company has a wonderful reputation for its contribution to the community and its CEO is a person of utmost integrity and ability. The new employee is elated that he has been chosen for the position. Upon inquiry about the salary, he is told just to have faith and his needs would be met; that in the history of the company no one who has performed his duties satisfactory as every been forced to leave the company before retirement. He questions several in the work force who assure him that he will be happy. He accepts the position and begins a very rewarding experience. The pay is not exorbitant, but is adequate for his needs. The work is sometimes difficult, but never overwhelming and the challenge is just what he needs to keep him “on his toes”. In almost no time he falls in love with the work and, because of the pay and all the benefits, he develops faith in the company and its leadership. No task is impossible and because of his faith and commitment, he is willing to do whatever is asked of him.

Non-hypothetical:

God has offered us “employment” in His kingdom, the church. The job requirements included service to God and to other people. Even though there is no financial remuneration, He has never failed to recompense faithful “employees”. Even in this life, with all the anxieties, confusion, and disturbing events, His workers can feel peace and contentment, knowing, by faith, that the “pay” will be more than adequate. Faith in our “CEO” results in benefits that are beyond our comprehension. Just as in the hypothetical example, we can have faith that our needs will be met, but there is another aspect of faith that we must keep in mind. The person in the secular example realized that if he had “faith” and followed the “plan”, his needs would be met. Faith in God also requires that we follow the ”plan”. If we have faith in God, then we will be willing and happy to do what he requires.

2011-01-14T10:54:00.001-06:00

Birds of a Feather
By: Pam Crittenden

Choose your friends wisely: Much has been written on this subject. The following stuck in my memory best (even better than “Birds of a feather flock together”).

Many animals and insects take on the color of their surroundings, making it almost impossible to see them, even when they are in plain sight. The tree frog merges into the bark of the tree. Chameleons just melt into any background. People often take on the “color” of their environment too, and become like their friends--good and bad. (taken from a bulletin by Greg Terry at the Tenth St. Church of Christ in Opelika)

In Acts 4:13 we read how the religious leaders “saw the boldness of Peter and John” and realized “they had been with Jesus.” The disciples became like Jesus because they spent time with Him, listened to Him teach, walked and talked with Him, and they followed His example. We will take on the character of Jesus, if we will study and obey God’s word, and walk and talk with Him throughout the day.

Teenagers are especially vulnerable when picking friends, but we may reach adulthood before our choice of friends leads us astray. Sometimes the devil is very subtle. This is when he is most dangerous. A Christian sees and avoids the obvious pitfalls, such as going to bars. The subtle pitfalls come at social gatherings with social drinking, etc., and when other activities conflict with worship services.

One of the most interesting examples in the Bible which underscores the need to beware of subtle ways the devil can use trusted people, is in I Kings 13. The young priest, who was commanded not to eat or drink with the people in Bethel had no problem turning down the king when he offered him food and drink at the palace, but when an old trusted priest lied and told him an angel said he should come back to his dwelling to eat and drink, he did just that. For his disobedience God struck him dead.

As George Bryan, one of our elders, told us in a Bible class, “Satan doesn’t care if we put God last, as long as we put Him second.”

2011-01-13T11:09:00.001-06:00

Home, at Last
By: Betsy Martin

As a child asleep in the back of the station wagon, I’ll never forget the feeling of coming home. We would spread out in the car so that no two kids would touch each other. (Mama was happier that way). Regardless if it were a long trip or a short one, no matter the length of time, I was usually asleep. When we neared the house, I would somehow sense the arrival, and come to a state of semi-consciousness. Finally, we were home!

Even now as an adult, whether returning from a short shopping trip to Montgomery, from a botched flight in South Florida (complete with a hydroplaning experience on the interstate), as I near the city limits of Elba, then my street, and finally my driveway, a sense of relief and security overtakes me.

I know that no home is perfect, but I have been blessed. I grew up in an exceptionally loving hoe; and I have made it a main goal in life to have a home that my family will want to come to at the end of a busy day. I have come home elated with a new baby; I have come home sick and gone straight to bed; I have come home ecstatic over a ballgame victory; and I have come home in tears over the news of a loved one’s death. Just get me home, and I can handle things okay!

Our lives are part of a journey that will continue until we go home, that is our true home, heaven. What a relief to finally realize that we are turning into the neighborhood, the driveway, and finally the beautiful gate of heaven. There will never be any tears, fears or dreads in heaven. I will never have to dress for a funeral. I will never have to pick up the phone only to hear bad news about someone I love. No more precious families split up. No one will need anti-=depressants or pain pills. There will be no wars and no politics. There will be no gossips or tattletales. Heaven is waiting for us to finish our imperfect trip and arrive at our perfect home, prepared by God.

2011-01-12T14:31:00.001-06:00

Finding True Joy
By: Nancy Bedsole

One of my biggest struggles is remembering that joy should not be dependent on the circumstances around me, but on the attitude within me. In Philippians 4:4, Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.” What makes this verse so meaningful is that Paul wrote it while he was in prison--certainly not a desirable circumstance. However, he managed to find joy in spite of his situation.

God wants us to have joy, but how can we? One way is by doing God’s will. The latter part of Proverb s 29:18 says, “He that keepeth the law, happy is he.” This means we can find joy in doing what God wants us to do. It follows then that we cannot have true joy if we are not doing God’s Will. All of us have selfish and wrong things and later felt the pain of regret. How much more joyful we are when we are consistently trying to do what we know is right!

A second way of finding true joy is by helping others. Someone very close to me tried to tell me this for a long time, but it was only recently that I understood it.

In the last years of Mrs. Rossie (Ellenburg)’s life I visited her often. Even though she was not always at her best when I went to see her, I always knew that she was glad that I had come. Somehow I would always leave feeling that I had received the greater blessing for going. Each time, I would resolve to go back sooner, but many things got in the way. Now that she and others have passed on, I know that many of us feel that we should have done more. We cannot go back to those times, but we can resolve to help others more in the future.

There is joy to be experience as a Christian. However, it is something that we must purposefully seek. No matter what happens in life, we should be hopeful and happy because we are members of the Kingdom of God.

Nancy Bedsole

2011-01-11T10:19:00.002-06:00

Oh Be Careful Little Mouth
By: Alice Maddox

Oh be careful little mouth what you say
Oh be careful little mouth what you say
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So be careful little mouth what you say

These are words to a familiar children’s song. Some of us might remember it from our childhood days. Many of us have sung it as we have taught children’s bible classes. The message is clear and plain, and confirmed repeatedly in scripture. In Colossians 4:6, Paul writes “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” This indicates that our speech should be courteous to others and appropriately spoken. Sometimes it is not entirely what we say, but when or how we say it, that determines how it is received. Paul repeats a similar warning to the Ephesians in Eph. 4:29, “Let no unwholesome word (corrupt communication) proceed from your mouth.”

Contrary to another childhood saying which begins “Sticks and stones may break my bones…”, we know that words can indeed hurt. In Colossians 3:8, Paul warns against using abusive speech. This seems to refer to demoralizing words which are hurtful to others, and are often the product of anger. Speaking out of anger is addressed by James. In James 1:19. He writes “..let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” Words spoken in anger are often the source of sorrow and regret. James writes in chapter 1: 26, “if any man among you seems to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is in vain. Now, that is serious business. Controlling the tongue is an important issue. But controlling our tongue is only the first step. Further action is needed. Our words are the expression of our thoughts. Evil words are the expression of evil thoughts. Evil thoughts are the product of sinful hearts.

Ultimately, we need to clean up our hearts. Jesus taught in Matthew 15:18 that the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. Again, from Matthew 12:36-37, “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”

Oh be careful little mouth what you say!

2011-01-07T12:40:00.000-06:00

THE EXTRA MILE

Once upon a time there was a little country girl whose uncle and aunt would go a couple of miles out of their way down a dirt road to pick her up for Sunday School. She spent a lot of time at their house playing with her older cousins and doing odd jobs to make spending money., The uncle was in poor health and required extra help with their large pecan orchard and large garden.The Aunt was a teacher by nature. Whether they were picking up pecans, picking beans, shelling peas, peeling apples, or just goofing off she was always teaching. She would teach Bible stories, right from wrong, how to treat other people, the value of a college education, etc. She never raised her voice. She always had words of praise and encouragement for any worthwhile accomplishment.

The little girl was greatly influenced by this sweet Christian aunt, as well as by her three Christian cousins. Her oldest cousin was a counselor one summer at a Christian Youth Camp and invited her to come along. At this camp, the summer before 7th grade she was profoundly changed forever, but it wasn’t until a couple years later that this shy little girl was brave enough to come forward one Sunday morning requesting to be baptized and become a Christian. In the meantime, her aunt and uncle had started to study the Bible with her parents, and they too were baptized shortly thereafter.Several years went by .

The little girl grew up and met a young man to her fancy. He attended church with her and was baptized not long before they were married. The years slipped by and the couple were blessed with three wonderful children.

More than 40 years went by since the car first went down the dirt road to pick up a little girl for Sunday school. One Sunday morning as she sat in church with her family, she wondered how different all their lives would be today and throughout eternity had it not been for the aunt who was willing to go "the extra mile". As she sat next to her children and her husband who is now an elder of the church, she joyfully scanned the pew and knew she owed a world of gratitude to her aunt.

The little girl from long ago was me; and I am so, so thankful that my Aunt Eloise was willing to go "the extra mile, literally, and that she took advantage of teaching opportunities to influence me. I am so thankful that I grew up with Christian cousins who exerted a positive influence on me; and I am especially thankful for Cousin Joyce who cared enough to take a kid to Camp with her.

I share my story for one reason. We all have opportunities to influence, to teach, to encourage, to lead others to Christ one way or the other. We need to look for those opportunities and not let them slip by. Children are especially susceptible to our influence and Christ encouraged us by his example to seek after these precious souls while their hearts are still tender. (Matt.18:1-6, Mark 10:13-16)If we can influence just one person to become a Christian today, we, like Aunt Eloise, may be packing a pew or two 40 years from now also; or many pews 100 years from now; or a whole neighborhood in Heaven 1000 years from now. We never know just how far reaching our influence may be. Let us always "go the extra mile" for Christ.

Glenda Bryan

2011-01-06T14:26:00.001-06:00

ONE STORY—SEVERAL POINTS

My favorite bible stories are not the usual. They are the ones we all know and love, but the points that interest me most are the ones often skimmed over; the ones that show their very human side, and give me hope that God will forgive me too.

Jonah is one of my favorites, not because he was swallowed by a big fish, but because he actually thought he could run from God. Also the fact that when he finally obeyed God and went to Nineveh to urge the people to give up their evil ways, he pouted when he succeeded in his mission. The people of Nineveh repented and God forgave them. Jonah, however, wanted them to be punished, not forgiven. Basically Jonah spent much of his time either trying to hide from God or disagreeing with Him. Jonah (the whole book)

In the story of Samson, a most interesting part is regarding his father and mother. Samson saw a Philistine woman and liked her. His mother and father asked him if he couldn’t find a woman among the brethren, but he wanted the Philistine woman. Since he was obviously the apple of their eye and an only child, they relented against their better judgment and went with him to get her. Just like us today when we cannot say no to our beloved children, things often begin to go awry. Judges 14:1-4

Even Abraham sinned, and in a way which was bound to fail.. Sarah, his wife, was “fair to look upon” and he was afraid when he traveled to Egypt during the famine, someone would want Sarah and kill him to get her. He then dragged Sarah into his sin, by having her pretend she was his sister. This plan backfired completely. The princes of Pharaoh beheld her and took her to the palace. The Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house because of Sarah. Pharaoh was understandably upset with Abraham saying: “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say she was your sister? I might have taken her as my wife.” Fortunately for Abraham, the Pharaoh sent him and Sarah away unharmed. Genesis 12:10-20

These are just three stories with interesting sub topics. The more I read and study, the more I find. David, for instance, merits an entire article by himself.

Pam Crittenden

2010-12-17T10:33:00.002-06:00

Messiah
Luke 2:1-7
The Jewish people of old waited for the Messiah to come to earth. From the time that Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, you remember that story, God had a plan. For His only Son to be the perfect sacrifice for our sin. Many verses in the Old Testament talk about His Son being born to a virgin and even specifing the time period He would be born. The shepherds were not surprised to hear that God’s son had been born, Luke 2:11.The wise men were watching the stars and expecting the king of the Jews to be born, Luke 2;1-11. Each Jewish girl hoped that God would choose her to be the mother of His Son.
When the time was right for Jesus to be born, Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem. Mary had been chosen by God to be the mother of His child and Joseph had been borrowed to be the earthly father. By the way it is interesting to note that God was often borrowing things. He borrowed a father for Jesus. He borrowed a tomb for Jesus to be placed because He would not be there long. He borrowed people or things to use for a period of time throughout the Bible, then would allow them to return to their purpose. That’s the case here. Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem for the census used by the Roman government to count the people.

Mary gave birth, as the story records, and laid him in a manger, an animal feeding box. History tells us that when Jewish babies were born they were washed in water, then rubbed with salt usually, and wrapped in swaddling clothes very tightly. The Bible records this event happening to this very special baby.

This baby was named Jesus according to the message of the angel Gabriel given to Mary, and of course, it was repeated to Joseph and even saying to Joseph "You shall call his name Jesus, and He shall save his people," Luke 2:1-7, our scripture reading for today. The world had waited a long time for God’s son and now the waiting was over.

The waiting is over for us as well. Jesus was born, He grew up, and He died for you and me. This time of year when folks are thinking very much about God and going to church, I hope you will spend some time thinking about Jesus and worshiping God. Spend time learning about God, and what He would have you do to be saved. Be obedient, be faithful in your obedience to God’s will to be pleasing in His sight. God will give a son to us, the Bible predicted in Isaiah 9:6, and my son will be responsible for the people. And just so Jesus was born in that special way. I hope you will take some time to look again. At the birth of Jesus, his living a perfect life, and dying on the cross for all of us.

~Philip

2010-12-16T11:18:00.000-06:00

God’s Miracle
Matthew 1:18-25
People often wonder why God sent His son Jesus to earth as a baby. Jesus became a man so He could live a life like people to experience temptation and even death. God could have sent Jesus to be rich and an earthly king. Instead Jesus was born to common people and lived a common life. It must have been very difficult for Jesus to leave heaven to live on earth, but even then He was willing to leave that clean and pure place to born in a barn, which was probably very dirty and smelly. Jesus owned everything in heaven, but when he was born there was nothing, not even a house there in Bethlehem. There was not room at the inn as we often say. Jesus was with God who spoke and created the world, but as a baby He would depend on his parents for warmth.

Because Jesus was a man, though, He knows how we feel when we are tempted or experience physical pain. Jesus also knows how it feels to be disappointed and rejected. So when you are facing a difficult time, when you are struggling in your life, remember that Jesus understands how you feel. Thank God today for sending Jesus to live as a man here on earth. In Philippians 2:7, it says, "He gave up His place with God and agreed to be like a servant. He was born to be a man and become like a servant."

Our scripture reading today comes from Matthew 1:18-25. You may want to go back and read some scriptures before that. We see there in Matthew 1 the genealogy of Christ given. It says this one is the father of this one, and so on until you get down to verse 16. There you get to the other side of the equation. It says Joseph, the husband of Mary, and then the angel of the Lord speaks to Mary and tells her the child she is going to have is from God. She will be blessed and bear a son she would call Jesus, for He will save His people. He will be the Messiah which means "God with us".

We believe God did a great miracle in sending His son in that very special way through the virgin birth. It is at this time of the year that many people celebrate His birth. Even though the Bible doesn’t give us a specific day and time Jesus was born. We kind of know, and experts, Biblical scholars, will say this is probably not the time of the year He was born, but we are going to take this time to especially focus in on the birth of Christ. What an amazing thing God did when He sent His son to come and live here among us and experience all those things we have to go through. You see we have a high priest who is separated from those experiences we have, but instead was tempted as we are, except He did it without sinning and then became the payment from our sins. What an amazing thing we celebrate when we celebrate the life, the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ to save us from our sins.

If you want to know more, check out our website at www.churchofchrist.com which has a link called "What to do to be saved".

~Philip

2010-12-15T15:03:00.000-06:00

Pray for Others
Ephesians 3:14-21

It’s interesting at this time of the year what things are important to us. They might not be important at other times of the year–things like "I have to get this gift, or go to this event." There are some things in our life that are very important for us as Christians. For example, it is important that a Christian belong with fellow believers and be active in a church. Christians receive a lot of blessings from the set up that God planned in His church. It is important that we are actually engaged and involved in doing things within that group that we call the church that help us grow spiritually.

There are some things that we are responsible for as Christians in the church. This means that we as Christians must do some things. It is more than just dropping a check in the offering plate somewhere or coming to church just to be checked off the list. It is a matter of using our time, talents, and treasures. We use our time, in particular, to reach other Christians and to reach out to others who are not Christians and bring them to Christ.
One thing we need to do is to pray for our brothers in Christ. Jesus taught His followers how they ought to pray in Matthew 6:5-15. We should be kind and loving people to each other.

In Ephesians 4:32, by the way, our scripture reading today comes from the chapter before that, Ephesians 3:14-21.In chapter 4 verse 32 though, it says, " Be kind and loving to each other forgive each other the same as God forgave you in Christ."

Think about where you are spiritually. Do you forgive other folks, are you in the right relationship with God? Are you actively engaged in His body, actively working in His church. Do you do what God would have you to do? Do you pray for others of like faith, those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ? Do you forgive others, especially those who are other Christians?
If you are not today, I would encourage you to go to God in prayer, to see what it is He would have us to do, then apply God’s principals to our life. It is easy today to get distracted with all the stuff around us. But today I want to encourage you to pray for other people.

One of the best gifts you can give someone is the gift of care and concern for them, to pray for them. Examine yourself this day and see if you are involved in church and caring and praying for others.

Are you praying for our sins to be forgiven and putting God first in your life? If not, today is the day to begin doing that.

~Philip

2010-12-14T14:33:00.000-06:00

Love
1 Cor. 13:4-13
This is the time of year that we think of people whom we love. We want to get together with those whom we love. We can use a lot of reasons at different times of the year for coming together, but this time of the year especially we want to show others that we love them and care about them. You might have a dinner and exchange gifts or go to a party somewhere and see people you don’t see every day. There you get the opportunity to say you love them and care about them.

Our Bible reading today comes from 1 Corinthians 13:4-13, and talks about love. God wants us to love other people the same way He loved us. In 1 John 4:4-8, it says, "Dear friends, we should love each other because love comes from God. The person who loves has become God’s child, so the person who loves knows God. The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love." It is not always easy to love other people. Maybe over the years someone has hurt your feelings or said something bad about you. Whatever it might be, it is hard for us to love that person, but God wants us to love them anyway. Jesus said in Matthew 5:44, "but I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who do bad things to you." This verse tells us we should love other people no matter how they treat us. In Luke 10:27, the Bible talks about love there too. It says you must love other people the same as you love yourself. I hope we will think about these verses today and we will love other people the same way God loved us.

You may remember in our text for today, verse 13 may be the most familiar verse of all. It says these three things continue, faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love. God even looks at our lives and says the key is this, Love God first, others second, and things will tend to fall into place. First, we have to love God with all of our being, with our heart, soul, mind and strength. We have to love those who are sometimes not very loveable. Let us think today of a way to show love to someone who is around us. It may be that your showing somebody love care it will change their life forever.

We are on facebook now, check us out!

~Philip

2010-12-13T16:02:00.001-06:00

God’s Plan
Mark 10-35-45

From the time Adam and Eve sinned, God had a plan to save people from their sins. Sin became a part of life, a part of man’s being, and we know that all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But we know that part of God’s plan was to send His Son Jesus to earth as a baby, not just to send Him as a baby, but to have Him grow up and eventually die on the cross for you and me.

Our scripture reading today comes from Mark 10:35-45. There the Bible reminds us that our salvation does not come only from Jesus’ birth, because the fact that he was born does not finish the process, but our salvation happens because He died. We know from our scripture today that Jesus reminds his followers that He came to earth to be a servant. He also told them that he came to save people. We know that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He came to find us and to save us from our sins. Jesus came to earth to die. That was his purpose in living. It was God’s plan in the very beginning that Jesus would come and save us from our sins.

Why did God have this plan? It is very simple, because He loves us and wants every person to obey Him. God wants every person to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. This Christmas season is fine for us to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is more important, though, that we celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection each Lord’s Day throughout the year. When you share the Christmas story this year be sure to tell them about His death on the cross too, because we see in that God’s true love for us, giving us a hope of heaven when this live is over. In the same way, the Son of man came, not only to be serving people who would be serving Him, instead He came to serve other people. The son of man came to save many, Mark 10:45.

Spend some time to day reading your Bible and again I encourage you to read with 20/20 vision--twenty verses before and twenty verses after. Put God first with the way you are living your life today. Find a way of doing service, find a way of being pleasing to God this day by putting Him first in faithful obedience to His will. Nothing short of that will do. We need to hear the Word, believe it, repent of our sins, confess our faith, be baptized, and continue to live faithfully by giving of our time, talent, and treasures. We need to continue to study God’s Word. It is not a matter of being able to do enough to save ourselves, instead it is a matter of our faith being put into action to be pleasing in His sight. Let’s do it God’s way, and put Him first in our life, walking by faith and not by sight this day and every day.

One other thing, come be with us for our services which begin at 9am on Sunday morning for classes, 10am for Worship Services, and 5pm for evening service. Wednesday night Bible study is at 7pm.

~Philip

2010-12-10T14:16:00.000-06:00

Christians Must be Faithful
Faithfulness Comes With Gospel Obedience
2 Timothy 4:6-8

As we have already mentioned, the greatest challenge for Christians is to stay faithful to God in daily living, but I want to encourage us today to take a step back and reevaluate where we are as Christians. Faithfulness begins with faithful obedience. That’s where it really starts. God says, "If you love me you will keep my commandments." He extended His invitation to everyone, not to just a certain group of people. In the beginning, I guess, it was to the Jewish people. He went to His own and His own received Him not. Then that invitation was opened up to all people everywhere.

God loves us all and wants us all to be saved–black and white, rich and poor are precious in His sight. This is a quote from the book of Matthew, which says, "Come unto me all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. You might want to take your Bible and mark that verse because Jesus is saying something really great there. He is saying, "Look, I want you to know that you can come to Me and find rest in Me."

Jesus sent His disciples out into the world to preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, he who does not believe shall be condemned." Mark 16:15-16. Those who are to be saved must obey the gospel. I tell our folks all the time that it is Faith + Obedience = Salvation. You see, without faith you won’t ever start in this process. Faith without obedience is dead. We are to faithfully obey God’s will.

In Hebrews 9 we are told that Christ is the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. Those words are important to know that we must be obedient to His will. Those who are faithful to God have heard what He has to say. They have faith in Christ. They are willing to repent of their sins, confess their faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord, and to be obedient to the Lord in baptism. Those are Christians. Those who fail to do so, are not Christians. It is hard for us to even imagine because of the part of the world we live in. If you ask almost anybody in our part of the world, "Hey, are you a Christian?" Almost everyone will say "Yes". But then if you ask, have you heard the word, believed it, confessed your faith, and been baptized? Have you done those things necessary to become a Christian, and having done that have you been faithful in your service to God? Many will say, "Well, not really, but.....

We need to reevaluate don’t we? Christians must be faithful to God. Again, maybe it is the greatest challenge that Christians face–the challenge to be faithful. I hope we will evaluate today, and find ourselves right where we need to be. If we find ourselves some other place we will take the steps today, make the changes to make it to heaven. God has given us a blessing today. He has given us the time to make things right with Him. We can’t go back to yesterday and are not promised tomorrow, so we need to evaluate today.

2010-12-09T06:39:00.000-06:00

Christians Must Be Faithful
Faithfulness is Anchored By True Worship
2 Timothy 4:6-8 John 4:24

Over this week and part of last week I’ve been giving you some things that will help us in the challenge of being faithful Christians. Christians face this challenge in being faithful to God in daily living. As we live our lives day to day we need to spend time focusing on God. We should do those things we’ve been talking about–-being obedient to the gospel, spending time with Christian living on a daily basis by following God’s example. We should be growing in God’s Word, praying to God, taking care of others and serving God.

Today I will give you one other area that we need to remember that is essential for faithful Christian living. Faithfulness is anchored by true worship. Christians should look upon worship as a privilege and a blessing. It is a part of the Christians life to be engaged in worship as a group.

The Bible teaches, and we should study and make sure we understand this, that Christians who serve the way God would have them serve will be involved in worship service as a group. Communion is a part of true worship to God. We commune with Him; we join with Him. 1 Corinthians 11, and Acts 20:7. Christians must not only worship, but be sure we are engaged in worship the right way. God is a spirit and we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. John 4:24. This is a key verse for us. Now what we see here is that we worship God in spirit. That means that our hearts are right, that we are engaged in worship. Worship is not an observer kind of thing, but participtory . We have to be engaged–we have to be singing, taking the Lord’s Supper, studying, giving, and doing those things that are involved in worship to God. The faithful worshipers will never forsake the assembly, will never forsake church because they just don’t want to go. Instead they will be looking forward to that time when they can be together. Hebrews 10:25. Christians gain strength from worshiping with other Godly people.

Never fail to be among those who gather together to praise and serve God in Christian worship each Sunday. Make sure you are there and make sure you are involved. We would even like for you come and be a part of our service. We have Bible classes at 9am on Sunday, 10am Worship service, and Evening service at 5pm.We have Bible classes at other times during the week. Make sure that wherever you are, you are involved in true worship, worshiping God the way the Bible teaches we should worship God. If we do that we are well pleasing to God.
~Philip

2010-12-08T11:22:00.000-06:00

Christians Must be Faithful
Faithfulness Requires Service to God and Others
2 Timothy 4:6-8

For this week and part of last week we’ve been talking about Christians must be faithful to God in daily living. We talked about the fact that we have to be faithful to God even if our life is challenged. Rev. 2:10. We talked about our key passage, 2 Timothy 4:6-8--that we should be like Paul who said,"I have fought a good fight, I have finished the course I have kept the faith,." and because of that we have an assurance of heaven when this life is over. It begins with obedience and continues with daily Christian growth in God’s Word. It means that we pray to the Father in heaven.

Today I want to remind you that faithfulness means we have to serve God and others. A faithful Christian, those of us who are truly faithful to God, must be in service to God and our fellow man. We serve God by serving others, the least of mankind. Matthew 25:40 and following teaches. Opportunities come to do good, and when they come we must use those opportunities to honor God, Galatians 6:10 teaches.

Pure religion, faithfulness, this life of a Christian, involves service to others, James 1:27. Jesus says even a cup of cold water would be service to others. When we do small deeds of service, that remind us about the Lord. The greatest service we can do is to tell them how to serve Christ themselves--how to be in Christ. The greatest thing we can do is evangelism, and to go beyond evangelism in caring for others. This time of year, we spend a lot of time thinking about how to help others. We have requests to help others, and many of you are willing to help those people." It shouldn’t be just at this time of year, but it should happen year around. If we ar faithful as Christians we will be faithful to serve others as we serve God. So, look for opportunities today. Seek where it is that you can be used in God’s service. You might say, "I want to serve, but I just don’t know what to do." Maybe it is sending cards, maybe it is encouragement-- to talk just about good things and not be negative. Maybe it is, as we talked about this morning, just a cup of water to somebody. Whatever you can do, be busy doing it, not for your on good or glory, but so God can be glorified in our service to Him. Check out our website at www.elbachurchofchrist.com and come to one of our services.

~Philip

2010-12-07T10:40:00.002-06:00

Christians Must Be Faithful
Faithfulness Means that We Pray
1 Thessalonians 5:17

As we face the challenge to continue to be faithful Christians, that great challenge each Christian face, we know that faithfulness involves daily Christian living, and faithfulness involves growth in God’s Word. Today I want to give you another area that is an essential part of Christian living, which is, faithfulness means that we pray to the Father which is in Heaven. It simply means that we have to be in prayer. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "In this manner, therefore, pray.. Our Father in heaven, hallowed it be thy name." Matthew 6:9

Our prayer is a great privilege. It is opportunity to communicate with God. God is near enough to hear our prayers. He hears those prayers, especially those who are faithful and strong. He has a special relationship with those children. Just like we would recognize the voices of our children, He recognizes the voices of His children. The Good News is that God is faithful and strong enough to answer those prayers. In the Bible we learn that we are commanded to pray.

One of the simple verses of the Bible, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, one that you have memorized over the years, says "Pray without ceasing.". It is the idea of being in the right place with God so that we can pray and talk to God, and He can hear our prayers and answer them. Prayer is a time to communicate with God, to pour out our hearts to God. Because prayer is our connection with God we should continue constantly.

We should continually pray and always be involved in prayer with God, Romans 12:12. Prayer is one of the areas of obedience to God. Proverbs 28:9, says "One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination." The Bible is simply saying that if we are going to be faithful and hear God’s law and really do what God says, then God hears our prayer as a sweet smelling aroma, something He likes to hear. If we are not right with God it is sickening for God to hear us coming to Him if we are not right. Someone might say, "Are we not to pray then?" The answer is, "No, not at all." It is a good place to start. Prayer is certainly needed when we need forgiveness. God wants to hear from us. God is like a friend who when we really communicate with Him, and hear what He has to say from the Bible, it’s kind of like that phone call from a friend, that when you hang up the phone, you say, "Why did I go so long without talking to that person?" I ought to call them more often." It is one of those relationship in which we want to be involved. So get involved with God!

~Philip

2010-12-03T15:27:00.001-06:00

Christians Must be Faithful
Faithfulness Involves Faith in God’s Word

We began the month of December by discussing the fact that Christians must be faithful to God, and they must stay faithful to God in daily living. In Revelation 2:10, the Bible says "Don’t be afraid of the things you are about to suffer, but be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life."The same would be true for us today. We should be faithful to God to the point of death, and if we have to die for the cause to be faithful to God we should do it. That is a challenge for us. We have been looking at another key text, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, where the Bible is talking about Paul’s life and he says, "I’m ready now to be offered, my departure is at hand." He wants to be able to say of his own life, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith."

We hope we can say the same thing. We talked about the fact that faithfulness begins with gospel obedience, and that faithfulness continues with daily Christian living. Today I want to mention to you that faithfulness also involves growth in God’s Word. The Bible is God’s inspired road map for us from earth to heaven. Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4) That, by the way, is another important verse today. You might want to mark it in your Bible and use it as a keynote. We cannot live by bread alone but we have to have spiritual food too, and study those words of God. It is the sincere milk of the word, you see, that nourishes the Christian and enables us to continue to proceed in this growth as a Christian . The righteousness that will come from the law of the Lord is that good part of life that we need.

As we become more righteous we need to spend more and more time with God’s law. The psalmist would challenge us to meditate on His Word both day and night. (Psalm 1:2) In other places in the Bible we learn that Bible study is a must. It is thought that our Bible study should be a progression. We need to learn about God; we need to learn about just the basic knowledge of God. We also study the Bible to learn of the greatness of God. We need to study our Bible to become familiar with God’s grace and His mercy. We then continue to study our Bible even beyond that to learn how to become a Christian and to worship. The teachings of the Bible are meant for our every need. Thy Word I have hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee. (Psalm 119:11) We need to be reading our Bibles daily. We need to be meditating on God’s Truth, those great lessons in life. We need to allow those truths to become part of our lives as we live each day for God.

~Philip

2010-12-02T12:22:00.001-06:00

Christians Must Be Faithful
Faithfulness Continues With Daily Christian Living
2 Timothy 4:6-8 Philippians 1:21

As we continue to talk about the challenge to be a faithful Christian, a person who is faithful in their daily service to God, we continue to remember our key verse. I hope you have spent some time this week reading 2 Timothy 4:6-8. Maybe you would want to read that whole chapter. We see as Christians the challenge to be faithful, maybe it’s the greatest challenge that we face. We have been talking about it, we began by talking about faithful obedience, but faithfulness continues with daily Christian living.

It is important to become a Christian, but just as important as it is to become a Christian, it is important to live a Christian life each day. Without daily Christian living we are not holding up that name and be what God wants us to be. Those who live a Christian life, live like Christ lived, think like Christ thought, walk the walk that Christ walked. Paul said it this way in Philippians 1:21, and again this is one of those verses we should put a star by or highlight in our Bible and maybe even memorize it. Paul says, "For me to live is Christ."

Christians must spend their lives living for Jesus. Your days should be used in service to God, my days should be used in service to God. Faithfulness means that we find ways to make our life what Christ would have it to be. We remember those great examples that Christ has set of doing what the Father wanted Him to do. Jesus has said, "Look, I came not to do my own will but the will of Him who sent Me." What if our attitude was-- we came not to do my will but the will of Him who sent us? In John 17:18, the Bible says Jesus is there praying, and He says, "Just as you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world."

Because we have been sent to do His will, we should do that and not our own. Sometimes we are selfish aren’t we. Sometimes we want to do it our way. But if God says, "Do this," we should do it. We should be willing to do those things that every day it takes to be a Christian. It should not be that when our life here is over, people are surprised that we even went to church. It ought to be that we have lived our lives each day to the best of our abilities doing it God’s way.

I hope that is the case with you, and you will take time today to make sure if you need to make changes you will make them. Then if you have questions, follow up and make sure you have those answers. When you have God’s answers to life’s questions, then do it His way.
If you have questions you may e-mail us at office@elbachurchofchrist.com or minister@elbachurchofchrist.com. We also have a website at www.elbachurchofchrist.com. I hope you are faithfully living daily as a Christian.

~Philip

2010-12-01T09:23:00.002-06:00

Christians Must be Faithful
Faithfulness Comes With Gospel Obedience

2 Timothy 4:6-8

As we have already mentioned, the greatest challenge for Christians is to stay faithful to God in daily living, but I want to encourage us today to take a step back and reevaluate where we are as Christians. Faithfulness begins with faithful obedience. That’s where it really starts. God says, "If you love me you will keep my commandments." He extended His invitation to everyone, not to just a certain group of people. In the beginning, I guess, it was to the Jewish people. He went to His own and His own received Him not. Then that invitation was opened up to all people everywhere.

God loves us all and wants us all to be saved–black and white, rich and poor are precious in His sight. This is a quote from the book of Matthew, which says, "Come unto me all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. You might want to take your Bible and mark that verse because Jesus is saying something really great there. He is saying, "Look, I want you to know that you can come to Me and find rest in Me."

Jesus sent His disciples out into the world to preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, he who does not believe shall be condemned." Mark 16:15-16. Those who are to be saved must obey the gospel. I tell our folks all the time that it is Faith + Obedience = Salvation. You see, without faith you won’t ever start in this process. Faith without obedience is dead. We are to faithfully obey God’s will.

In Hebrews 9 we are told that Christ is the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. Those words are important to know that we must be obedient to His will. Those who are faithful to God have heard what He has to say. They have faith in Christ. They are willing to repent of their sins, confess their faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord, and to be obedient to the Lord in baptism. Those are Christians. Those who fail to do so, are not Christians. It is hard for us to even imagine because of the part of the world we live in. If you ask almost anybody in our part of the world, "Hey, are you a Christian?" Almost everyone will say "Yes". But then if you ask, have you heard the word, believed it, confessed your faith, and been baptized? Have you done those things necessary to become a Christian, and having done that have you been faithful in your service to God? Many will say, "Well, not really, but.....

We need to reevaluate don’t we? Christians must be faithful to God. Again, maybe it is the greatest challenge that Christians face–the challenge to be faithful. I hope we will evaluate today, and find ourselves right where we need to be. If we find ourselves some other place we will take the steps today, make the changes to make it to heaven. God has given us a blessing today. He has given us the time to make things right with Him. We can’t go back to yesterday and are not promised tomorrow, so we need to evaluate today.

~Philip

2010-11-30T12:54:00.002-06:00

Christians Must Be Faithful

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Maybe the greatest challenge for a Christian to face is to stay faithful to God in daily living. In Revelation 2:10 we read, “Fear none of those things that you shall suffer: behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days, and, here is the part of the verse I really want you to notice, “ be thou faithful until death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” These words proved to be motivation for the godly when they were penned, but they also are challenging and inspirational for us today.

We should live a faithful life in whatever may come our way. Whatever the situation, it will encourage us to serve the Lord by telling each other, “Hey, I am going to be with you.” Even more important than that, God says, “I’m going to be with you. Even if you are at the point of death, I will be with you.” You will receive the crown of life.

Steven understood that importance of faithfulness to God. Stephen is one of those New Testament Bible characters who was in that group of people who were chosen as Deacons to serve in the early church. He was also a preacher who would go from place to place. He was willing to serve God and was faithful to God’s Word. He was willing to the point that he became the first Christian martyr. (Martyr means to die for a cause.) He was stoned to death after some folks he was talking to did not believe what he was preaching. Paul was another one who was faithful to the point of death. He would write, “For I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good

fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:8. This text, by the way, is our Bible reading for today. Paul is saying he is at the end of his life and realizes that he is at the point that he is going to be offered up to God, and he is still faithful.

I hope that each of us when we reach that point will be able to say, “I have stayed faithful to God.” I have done some things I’m not proud of, some sinful things and sometimes life has been hard and I’ve gone through some challenges, but even at that in the end we can say I have been faithful to God and done right to the best of my ability.

Over the next few days we are going to be looking at the importance of Christian faithfulness to God. I know some people might say, “Aren’t all Christians faithful?” The answer is, ”No, they are not.” Sometimes they get started well, but don’t finish well. We are going to talk about some things to help us finish well.

~Philip

2010-11-26T10:41:00.002-06:00

God’s Riches

Romans 11:33-36

Well, yesterday was Thanksgiving which means today is the day you are looking for great opportunities and deals. Most of you are going shopping today and are going into the transition to Christmas and getting excited about all the things that are there. Someone says, “I’m just not rich enough to do all the things I would like to do.” I want to tell you today that God’s riches are really greater than all the things we have here. No matter what we have around us, the fact is, you can’t ever have it all. You can’t take it with you, but we do know this. There is something that is even more valuable and it is dealing with God’s riches--those areas that God is rich in instead of those areas we think we might be rich in. In Romans 11:33-36, our scripture reading today, we find out that God’s riches are truly great. His grace, his wisdom, and his knowledge are awesome.

We have a friend who has never seen the ocean, and we say this is what it’s like and try to describe the ocean--this is how big it is and how it looks, and how it tastes. We even mix up some salt water in a bucket and let them taste it and smell it, but they can’t really get an idea of all there is to know about it. Someone says, “That’s the same way it is with the cells today, there is still a lot we don’t know about it. We have to understand that we don’t know everything about God, but we can understand that He is wonderful. We can understand perfection because of Him. We can understand that He is Holy.

In the past few devotionals we have been studying about the fact that God hates sin, that all people have sinned. We have also talked about the fact that God’s grace is given to us and that we should be thankful for it. It doesn’t give us the license to sin, but it does give us the freedom to serve with God being in control of our lives. There is always some room for improvement because just like that turkey, none of us are exactly perfect. Over the next few days, we will learn about serving God and about how God saves us.

As we do this we will learn about this idea of getting ready to celebrate this time we call Christmas and be thankful for what God has done for us. I want you to take time to day to think again about how awesome God is, and about His power. Take time to thank Him for giving us the opportunity to know something about how to love each other, and even for the stuff that we have. All of it comes from God. Today is yet another day that we should be thanking Him for what He has done for us. We have these treasures from God , but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that this great power is from God not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

~Philip

2010-11-24T14:22:00.001-06:00

License to Sin
2 Peter 3:10-18

When you were about sixteen years old you probably went took a test to get your Driver’s License. That Driver’s License was a wonderful thing in our lives. After waiting so long, we finally had a license to drive. It gave us the freedom to drive a car, not only that, but we didn’t have to have someone in the seat next to us anymore. We were so excited about that and we were going to get to go and do all those things we had been wanting to do. We thought, “I’ve finally achieved the greatest goal ever.”

You may remember in yesterday’s devotional we talked about the fact that God hates sin. What a great lesson that is to finally learn. We must all know that there are essential things to be right with God. I hope we all know it is never okay to sin. Some people think that because we have been forgiven by God’s grace, it is still okay to keep sinning. They think that is their license to sin and do wrong. That simply is not the case. In Romans 6:1-2, the Bible says, “What do you think, that you can continue sinning and God will give you more and more grace. The answer in verse two is “No! We died to our old sinful life. How can we continue to live in our old sin?” God wants us to get out of sin. He did not give us a license to sin. What He did give us is the freedom to do all sorts of great things for Him.

Our Bible reading today tells us about a time when Jesus will return to get His people. That’s why we need to be ready when He returns. We need to be ready for the acceptance of the Savior if we have been in obedience to Him. Our Bible reading today is 2 Peter 3:10-18. Allow God’s grace to come into your life today and allow God to continue to bless us and have all the freedoms in God.

As we have Thanksgiving tomorrow, let us think of all the things we have to be thankful for. There is nothing better to be thankful for than God giving us freedom from sin, from which we have benefited in our obedience to God. You might want to read Jude 4, and you will see there a verse that explains to us how people and God can be united in Christ Jesus. Let’s be in Christ and be faithful to Him, and He will be pleased with us.

If you want to know more about the Bible and maybe have questions, check out our website.
www.elbachurchofchrist.com . You can e-mail us from there and we can address any question you might have.

~Philip

2010-11-23T11:05:00.002-06:00

Broken Watches
Romans 2:1-11

A watch salesman tried to sell two watches, both of which were broken. One of these watches was a very beautiful watch, and assuming that it was intact and working it would be worth a lot. The other watch was rusty and ugly and dirty looking. The salesman tried to sell both of these watches even they weren’t working. He tried to sell the ugly watch to people but they didn’t want to buy it. Why? Because it wouldn’t work. He also tried to sell the beautiful watch, but still no one wanted to buy, again, why? Because it too was broken and wouldn’t work.

God looks at people in the world in a very similar way, probably. We are all sinners and like the broken watches in a lot of ways. Who would want to buy something broken? Well, the one who would come and buy both of those watches is the one who could fix them and restore them. God is like that with us. Who can fix a broken person? Like the skilled watch repairman, only the one who is skilled and can take us where we are in a world of sin to where we need to be in a life of faithful obedience to Him.

God hates sin, but he loves the sinner. He can take away our sin and make us right with Him. Just like that watch repairman can take the two watches and make them work again, so God can take us and make us whole again. Our Bible reading tells us in Romans 2:1-11, that God treats all people the same. It doesn’t matter if you are beautiful or ugly. It doesn’t matter if they are big sins or little sins. God will forgive all sin if you will come to Him.

One of the things this Thanksgiving to be thankful for is that God loves each of us. He loves you and wants to bring you close to Him and to be restored, to have a relationship with Him that only can be had through faithful obedience to God’s word. All people have sinned and are not good enough for the glory of God, but God loves us so much that He gave His Son to die for us. God says if we are willing to do what He says we can spend eternity in Heaven. I hope it will be the case with each of us. I hope we will hear the word, believe it, repent of our sins, confess our faith, and be baptized into Christ to live to serve Him the rest of our lives. We can then be together in Heaven with Him for all of eternity.

~Philip

2010-11-22T12:12:00.002-06:00

Dirty Sand
Genesis 2:8-9; Genesis 2:15-17

I heard about a little boy and his mother who went to a park. The mother sat on the bench while the little boy made a sandcastle. He made it with a little shovel and pail. He worked for a very long time making a moat around the castle and all the rest, that we all have probably done as some time in our life. As this boy was playing in the sand he became more and more curious about how the sand would taste. You know what happened next…..he put some of the sand in his mouth. The next question doesn’t even need to be asked, but,…What do you think the mother did? Well, she went to him and said, “No, no, don’t eat the sand!” You see, the mother thought the sand was dirty and harmful for her son. Whether that is true or not is probably not important for our thought for today, but the mother thought the sand was harmful to her son. She wanted to take action.

That is sort of the way God acts with us and sin. When we get around sin, if we are not careful we will find ourselves playing in it and wondering what it would be like if we participate in some of those things. We start to do it ourselves and God is saying no, no! God hates sin, He hates all sin and wants us to get rid of all sin in our lives. None of us are perfect, but some of us are worse than others. I know I have done those things I had no business doing. It seems you can’t say enough times that you are sorry for what you have done when you realize you have done things you shouldn’t. You are truly penitent.

We know that God and sin cannot mix, but God is willing to forgive us. God and sin are like oil and water. They cannot work together, but God is willing to forgive those sins. Sin separates us from God’ but God will help us to overcome that temptation.

Our scripture reading today comes from a couple of different passages, Genesis 2:8-9, and verses 15-17. You might want to read the whole text . Here is the idea of sin, that temptation, coming, and man falling into it. But, what we should do is avoid it and stay close to God. In Romans 6, of the New Testament, verse 23 says, when people sin, they earn what sin pays….death. But God gives people a free gift, life forever in Christ Jesus, our Lord. God wants us to live eternally with Him. He doesn’t want us to be in that group that He has to punish, but in order to have that happen, we must be faithful in obedience to His will.

-Philip

2010-11-16T15:44:00.001-06:00

Walking Where It's Uncomfortable
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Sometimes it's good for us to walk where we are not comfortable.

Comfort is, maybe, difficult to define. It is generally the feeling we have when we know the people around us, are familiar with the place we are, and know pretty well what's going to happen next.

On the other hand, discomfort is that feeling when we don't know the people, the place, or what to expect. We would all rather be comfortable.

As followers of Jesus we need to walk where it isn't so comfortable. It isn't comfortable to stand beside someone's hospital bed, but Jesus needs to be there. It isn't comfortable to go to the home of someone who has recently died, but Jesus needs to be there. It isn't comfortable to go to someone who is in distress because of a rocky marriage, a wayward child, or a moral violation, but Jesus needs to be in all these places. So He sends us.

We are the ones who go, not seeking comfort, but giving it. We are the ones who are to stand in the presence of difficulty so that God will be remembered there. We are the ones who are to be more concerned with the wellbeing of others than we are about our own comfort level.

And, truly, this is one of the ways He leads us to greater adventure. Because of Him we end up going places we would never have dreamed of going, doing things we would never have dreamed of doing, and changing the lives of people we would never have met. God has a way of providing what people need, and often, they need us.

Pat Peters, Custer Ave. church of Christ Clinton. OK via BULLETIN DIGEST

2010-11-16T14:47:00.003-06:00

Hope you have a GREAT day!

2010-11-05T11:59:00.001-05:00

We Meet All Kinds of People
A Compassionate, Loving Man
Luke 10:25-37

All this week we've been looking at the story in Luke 10:25-37, of a man whom we refer to as a good Samaritan. Jesus is asked a couple of questions by a lawyer: The questions were "How shall I inherit eternal life?" and "Who is my neighbor?". He answered the last question with a parable about the good Samaritan. We meet all kinds of people in this story: a man traveling alone, some evil, cruel men, two selfish and heartless men who were supposedly religious in this story. I was recently asked who I thought was-- worse the robbers in the story or the heartless religious men. Both were wrong and not doing what God wanted them to do, but in many ways, I think the religious men were worse than the robbers.

We meet one final man--the one I want to talk about today. This man was compassionate and loving. He is a certain Samaritan, as Jesus described. He was a man of a different race, but like Jesus he made this unfortunate man's life better, unlike the robbers who made him worse, or the religious men who didn't make him worse or better. This Samaritan was a kind person who made the world a better place. He knew he was the one who needed to do something to help the man. He helped...and this is where in the story we find the challenge for us to go and do likewise. This Samaritan was a good man who not only made the world a better place for the poor man, but for a lot of people. Our world needs more people like him, so let us imitate his example. Let us do what he did and never be cruel and selfish people, but compassionate like the Samaritan.

~Philip

2010-11-04T12:41:00.000-05:00

We Meet All Kinds of People
Selfish, Heartless Men

Luke 10:25-37

Two questions were asked by that lawyer of Jesus. Jesus answered his question about "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?", and answered his question about "Who is my neighbor?" by teaching a great lesson from the story of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. I hope you have already read that text. We are looking at it with 20/20 vision, and getting all that we can from that great story. We have been talking this week about the fact that we meet all kinds of people. We meet all kinds of people in this parable too. Maybe we have met this man traveling on the road alone, or the evil, cruel thieves who beat him.

Today I want to point out too, that we meet some very selfish, heartless people. These are some men who might surprise you. The Bible refers to them as the Priest and the Levite. These two men observed the outward form or religion but they were selfish, heartless and therefore, also godless. The focus of their lives was self. They did not want to get involved. What they had, they wanted to keep instead of sharing. They did not rob or beat the poor man beside the road, but they didn't make his life better either. People like them do nothing for the suffering and hurting.The Bible talks about this kind of person in Matthew 25:41-45.

There Jesus is telling of some events that happened. He says something like this "I was hungry and you didn't feed me. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not take Me in. I was naked and you did not clothe me.I was in prison and you didn't visit me." Their response was, "Lord, when were you ever that way?" Jesus answered, "Look around you. If others are that way then I am with them. If you are taking care of them you are taking care of me."

So let's get to the point that we are never Godless, but are involved in other people's lives. We are caring for the needs of those who are hurting. We are traveling with the lonely and alone. We are even concerned about the ones who are evil and have done wrong.

~Philip

2010-11-03T11:52:00.001-05:00

We Meet All Kinds of People
Evil Men

Luke 10:25-37

Over the last couple of days we've been looking at Luke 10:25-37,and we see the story of the good Samaritan. We've been talking about the fact that we meet all kinds of people. Jesus is talking to a lawyer and he is answering a couple of questions: The first question was "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" and the second, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus answers both of them with one parable.

Yesterday we talked about the man traveling alone, and that we don't have to be alone. We can have God with us, and even our Christian family to support us through trials. We all the time tell folks, "we invite your family to join our family" here at the Elba Church of Christ.

The second group of people we have in this story is this evil group that comes and is involved in the story. We meet some evil men who were robbers. These men were evil and cruel. They were thieves and were heartless. They were under control of the devil who had deceived them. There is a verse over in Revelation 12:9 that says this about the devil."So the great demon or dragon was cast down, the serpent of old, called the devil and satan, who deceives the whole world." He was cast to the earth with his angels, as they were cast out with him. It would have been better for these men if they had never been born. They have taken from people. They have robbed and stolen. They have done terrible things and are those kind of folks that we don't want in the world.

Their presence makes the situation worse, not better. So, a couple of things we should remember. First of all let us resolve not to be in that number of people who are just simply doing wrong. Secondly let us also remember that even though we may have all tried not to be, we all have been in that group. We might say......"Now wait a minute I have never robbed anyone or left anyone for dead like they did when they robbed this man on the way to Jericho and left him for dead."

Really though, what they did is just sin. It goes against God's will. They were not treating others the way they would want to be treated. They were certainly not obeying the law of God that would say, "Let those who have stole, steal no more." They failed to follow God's will. The fact is we have all failed to follow God's will at one time or another. The Bible says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." So we may all need to move from a position of being with the devil to being those who are following God's law. In order to do that we must faithfully obey God, by hearing his word, believing it, repenting of our sins, confessing our faith, and being baptized into Christ. Then we must live faithfully for God the rest of our lives.

~Philip

2010-11-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

We Meet All Kinds of People
A Man Alone
Luke 10:25-37

Again with our Bibles open to Luke chapter 10, we are looking at the story of the good Samaritan. We are talking about all the different kinds of people we meet in this story, and that at some time or another we have been all these people, or could have been.

The first person we meet in this story is a certain man traveling alone on this rough, rugged road from Jerusalem to Jericho which covered about a twenty mile stretch. Why he traveled alone is not known, but he had a right to travel the road and to travel it alone. There are a lot of things in life we could do that might not be the smartest thing to do. That might have been the case here. Many traveled this road, and many travel the road of life alone. Sometimes we feel lonely and depressed because we are lonely and feel we are absolutely by ourselves. I think we should observe, and try to lift up those lonely travelers on life’s road alone, because the Bible teaches we should travel through life together. Maybe you are in this position today and feel like you’re alone.

The Bible doesn’t give us any details about this man’s journey…..maybe he was hearing every little thing going on around him and was nervous about the danger he was in. Maybe he was aware of these men approaching him. Maybe there are people like that in our lives that are by themselves and need us to be with them. Obviously we need not travel alone without God. If we are God’s children…if we faithfully follow Him, then He will be with us. He will be with us even until the end of the age, as Jesus would say to His disciples as he was about to ascend into heaven.

There is no reason why we should ever be alone. We might be alone physically for a while but God is always with us. Also, as Christians we have a great family, a Christian family, who will be there with us to help us and support us as we travel life’s road. Psalm 23, says “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me, Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. “

~Philip

2010-11-01T12:56:00.000-05:00

We Meet All Kinds of People
Luke 10:25-37

Two questions asked by a lawyer allowed Jesus to use a parable to introduce us to several kinds of people. The lawyer’s first question was just meant to trap Jesus. The question was: ”What shall I do to have eternal life?” Luke 10:25. The second question was asked to justify himself. “Who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:29. This text, Luke 10:25-37, is probably a familiar one to you and will be our text all week. ”. I hope you will read your text each day, and really study it.

We are looking at all kinds of people. The first one is known as “the Good Samaritan”. There are several kinds of people involved in this story. Maybe we can see some of ourselves reflected in one of these individuals. At least we should. Maybe we have at different times been different ones in the story. We can see ourselves in different positions in the story, and see how we would react. Whether we are the good Samaritan or one of the others involved in the story, we can get a good clear picture of how God wants us to behave. That is what it is all about in being a Christian, isn’t’ it? To understand what it is that God would have us to do and simply doing it. If we will do that God will be pleased with us. If we fail to do that He is not pleased.

As we begin reading the text , we see Jesus telling us a story that will help us to become more of what we should be. He starts out in Luke chapter 10 dealing with the questions asked by the lawyer. His answer is to tell the story of a man traveling on the road to Jericho, and the man fell among thieves on the road. These thieves were up to no good. They beat him up and stole his belongings. A religious guy passed by, then other folks whom we would think would be the ones to help passed by. The last guy though who passed by, was one we thought would not help, actually was the one who helped. It made a big difference in this man’s life and teaches us a great lesson.

We hope you can come be with us here at the Elba Church of Christ. Our schedule has changed a little bit. We are not having fellowship meals during the months of November and December. There is a lot going on during those two months. Our services are at 7pm on Wednesday nights, 9am for class on Sunday morning, 10am for worship, at 5pm for evening worship.

~Philip

2010-10-29T16:27:00.000-05:00

Directions for Your Heart

Abstain from every form of evil

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

All week we’ve been looking at God’s map for our lives. We come to understand that God really loves us and gave His only begotten Son to die for us and give us hope. He then gave us His Word as an instruction book to follow. Our text for this study is 1 Thessalonians 5:16:22. Here Paul gives us some short, but powerful directions for how to have a good heart and live in His service. First rejoice always, pray without ceasing, be thankful in all things, do not quench the spirit, do not despise prophecies, test all things.

There is one final one I want to share with you today. It is "abstain from every form of evil," 1 Thessalonians 5:22, Christians must be willing to do the will of God and to avoid all evil. We have to do both--follow God’s word and do it His way. (John 17:17) God will provide a way to escape when temptation comes. “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (I Corinthians 10:13)

We don’t have to be guilty of sin. As a matter of fact, we should get better and better at avoiding it. We are not perfect on our own. We are justified by His blood and made perfect with Him, but we still mess up. We do foolish things, but a pure heart and a clean mind gives us strength to avoid all appearance of evil. A man will never begin to be good till he begins to avoid those occasions that have made Him bad. Paul said to avoid the very appearance of evil.

It is possible to live a life that is both holy and happy. Psalm 144:15 says, “…Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!” The Lord will grant you just such a life if you will follow His directions for your heart. Christians must leave no open doors for sin to enter. Strengthen your heart and be on guard at every point! “And you will be hated by all for My names sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22)

Let us be in that number that obeys God faithfully until death, and it will make all the difference.

~Philip

2010-10-28T11:38:00.000-05:00

Directions for the Heart
Test All Things
1 Thessalonians 5:16:22

I hope you have been growing from some of the things we have been talking about this week. These, you see are directions for our heart. We have been looking at a text--1 Thessalonians 5:16-22. There Paul gives us some short but very powerful directions on how to have a good heart and a good life for God. He begins with, “rejoice always, then pray without ceasing, then in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God through Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the spirit, do not despise prophesies, test all things, hold fast to all things that are good. Abstain from every evil thought.” We should learn from this great text. I hope we already have.

We’ve learned about rejoice always, pray without ceasing, giving thanks for everything, not quenching the spirit nor despising the prophesies , and today, since this verse builds on itself, we will talk about testing all things. Things taught by preachers and teachers must be tried by God’s law and testimony. We should be looking to make sure God’s law matches up to what the preacher says. 1 John 4:1 teaches us to do that very thing, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” When convinced from scripture that a thing is true, “hold fast what is good.”

Every Christian has the responsibility to grow in areas we are sometimes struggling with. We need to grow and grow as Christians and get better at discerning good and evil. “Everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:13-14) Earnest searching the scriptures will settle our minds so truth and error can be recognized. “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars.” (Revelations 2:2)

Let’s don’t be fooled any longer, test everything you hear by the Bible to see if it is so! If it is what the Bible teaches follow it with all your heart. Be serious about it. Don’t just kind of half way do it and say, “Yeah, I know that’s what the Bible says.” Instead read it for yourself, and say, “If the Bible says it, I am going to do it, and I’m going to do it to the very best of my ability.” That’s what God is looking for. He’s looking for people who are in His word , studying, rejoicing, and continuing to pray and give thanks We should be faithful in obedience to His will.

~Philip

2010-10-27T14:06:00.001-05:00

Directions for Your Heart
Do Not Quench the Spirit
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 19-20

This week we have been looking at directions for our heart, and we’ve already learned to rejoice always, and pray without ceasing. Added to that we are to be giving thanks in every situation of life. We are looking at the text, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22. You might want to read some of the verses before and after, or maybe even begin with verse one of the chapter, because Paul is saying to us, “Look these are the directions for your heart. This is what is going to make a difference in your life, rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks.

The fourth thing we should do is not quench the spirit. (1 Thessalonians 16:19) The spirit is quenched as faith, hope, and love are quenched with sin. Stephen accused some of resisting the spirit. (Acts 7:51) Paul said some grieve the spirit. (Ephesians 4:30) This is done by refusing the instructions of the spirit. Like raindrops quench fire, evil thoughts, idle words, sinful deeds quench the spirit of God. In many Christians the spiritual fire is quenched because they have never stoked that fire by Bible study, meditation, prayer, self-examination, good works, kindness, love or mercy. If we really are to become what God wants us to be we have to do all those things and grow our faith.

The fifth direction for our heart is to not despise prophecies (1 Thessalonians 5:20). God’s grace is received as His teachings are received-- that is where we need to study. Let us never despise prophecies or the preaching of the word. Christians must prize and value the study, interpretation , and application of scriptures. If we do don’t do that we fail to believe these prophecies and we have missed out on a great opportunity to grow as a Christian. “But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.” (1 Corinthians 14:24-25) Do not despise the preaching of God’s word or the one who preaches it. “Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16) “May God bless us with ears ever open to hear His truths. Let these words sink down into your ears…” (Luke 9:44) These words need to sink deep into our hearts just like Luke says, and we will rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, not quench the spirit, and not despise prophecies. This will get us where we need to be to serve God.

~Philip

2010-10-26T13:45:00.001-05:00

Directions for Your Heart

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

Pray Without Ceasing

Yesterday we began talking about some directions for the heart. We talked about directions being all around us and we are to follow those directions in God’s Word to become what God wants us to be. We are still in the same text, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22. I hope you have already had the opportunity to read it. If you didn’t read it yesterday, and even if you did, go back and read it again today.

Yesterday we learned to “rejoice always”, and today we learn to “pray without ceasing”. Each exhortation connects with the ones before. “Then He spoke a parable to them that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1) Sometimes we pray when things are hard, but we ought to also pray when things are good. The way to rejoice more is to pray more. Prayer will help in any right thing you are involved with. Prayer aids in using the “Sword of the Spirit”. It aids us in the work of God.” “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:17-18)

Christians pray always because prayer is the Christian’s way to have needed things. We get whatever we ask, John writes, because we “keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3:22) We pray without ceasing, but it doesn’t stop there. In the next verse, 1 Thess. 5:18, it says “In everything we give thanks. Notice God’s order -- rejoice, pray, and give thanks. Thanksgiving is just a natural progression and accompanies prayer and supplication. The Bible says in Philippians 4:6-7, that this is the case. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Giving thanks is, “the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Whatever your state of life, be thankful. That is a hard concept to understand. But we should be thankful in the bad times as well as the good times. Thanksgiving is pleasing to God. “We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.” (Psalm 75:1)

~Philip

2010-10-25T12:56:00.001-05:00

Directions for Your Heart
Rejoice Always
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

Directions are everywhere. There are directions for assembling things, for repairing things, for cooking, and even for taking care of your kids. They not only come in English now, but also in other languages. I remember a few years ago our children got a trampoline for Christmas. It came in about a million pieces. I called some of my friends to come over and help assemble this trampoline, which for some reason Santa Claus didn’t assemble before he left the yard. One of these guys was an engineer for Boeing and the other was a retired Air Force guy, both very educated guys, and then there was me. We spent hours and hours trying to put that trampoline together. After we got it together we realized that something was not right, so we started taking it back apart. One of the guys says “I guess we will just have to read the directions. He started looking at the directions (this was the engineer), and he said “Some engineer must have written it--you can’t understand them.”

God has directions for our life. God in His own words gives us directions for our heart. In our text for this week, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22, Paul gives us some directions, short directions but powerful directions on having a good heart. He says, for example, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”

We need to learn some of these lessons for the heart:
The first one is Rejoice Always, (1 Thessalonians 5:16).

We may be having hard times but we can still rejoice. 2 Corinthians 6:10 says “As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.”

Christianity fills our cup to overflowing. Psalms23:5 says, ”You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.”

Christian life is a life of joy, peace and true contentment. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27) Let’s enjoy this peace, and live the life of a Christian.

2010-10-20T15:38:00.001-05:00

In God’s Hand
1 John 4:7-12
On one of our mission trips to Belize Central America I met a guy who had a bird for a pet. This bird would sit on your shoulder or your finger and talk and do tricks for you. I was at his house one day and it was interesting to see the dog was barking at the bird. The guy immediately ran the dog away, took the bird in his hand, and soothed his ruffled feathers and told him, “It’s okay, I will protect you.”

God takes care of us as well. You know when we are in God’s hand, just like the bird in that guy’s hand, God is going to protect us and take care of all of those needs. God takes care of us today. He continually watches over us. He protects and provides for us. We are safe in God’s hand.

In the Old Testament, Psalm 139:9-10, the Bible says, “Lord, if I go east where the sun rises, you are there, if I go west where the sun sets, you are there. Even there Your right hand holds me and you lead me by the hand. What a beautiful idea. He’s got the whole world in His hands is the song that we sang as children says, and it is certainly true. He has us, and all the world in our hands and wants to protect us and love us.

Our scripture reading today is 1 John 4:7-12. There, especially in verse nine, we see Gods love for us. God sent His only son into the world to give us life through Him. Because God loves us He is willing to take care of us. I hope God will show His love for us today, and I hope we will show Him our love for Him. God says , “If you love Me you will keep My commandments.”

We will do those things God wants us to do is we truly care about God. We are in God’s hands if we allow ourselves to be. I hope you will today, do God’s will, that you will hear His Word, believe it, repent of your sins, confess your faith, and be baptized into Christ, then live the rest of your life faithfully obeying His will.

~Philip

2010-10-18T15:14:00.001-05:00

Heart and Soul
Deut 26:16-19
The very first verse of our Bible reading for today says, “Today the Lord your God commands you to obey all these laws and rules. Be careful to follow them with all your heart and your soul.” Deuteronomy 26:16-19 is our Bible reading today, by the way. When I first read this verse I thought it was a pretty tough thing to tell these folks of old. They had all those laws to keep. How could I possibly keep all His rules and all His laws, after all I am human. I make mistakes. For many of us we say, “Yeah, I make mistakes, many of them continually.” We are working on that and trying to get better and better, or at least we should be.

Then we read a few chapters later in that same book, chapter 31, verse 6, that God says to Joshua, “The Lord your God is with you. He will not fail you or leave you.” What a beautiful idea. God is always there to help me. He’s not going to leave me alone.” When I read this I realized that I could do my very best to obey God, and God would be pleased with that. He would take care of the rest. It is my responsibility to do the very best I can.

Then as an individual I look and say, “Is what I’m doing now right with God? Is there something that I need to change? Is there an area I need to work on? Then I realize as I’m working and getting better at doing this. God is there supporting me along the way. Of course, this takes some very honest looking at ourselves. Sometimes when we look at ourselves and think of all the things we have done--all those bad things, the wrong things we’ve done over and over again. We think to ourselves, “How is it that God can even forgive me and continue to love me?” Because He created you to love you and take care of you, and for you to love Him back. The question then becomes, “What about me--what about you?” Maybe you think that you can’t obey God. Maybe you think you can’t do it alone. You are right in thinking that you can’t do it alone, but with God’s help you can.

We should trust Him today to lead us in the way we need to go. We need to put ourselves in God’s hands and say, “God, I am here with You and I know You are with me.” The Lord has said, “You must obey my commandments.” Today, right in our scripture it says so.” But in all of that God will not fail you or leave you. Trust in God today by putting Him first, and walking by faith and not by sight.

~Philip

2010-10-15T11:10:00.001-05:00

Be Humble
Philippians 2:5-11

A few years ago I was in an airport waiting with a mission group to go to South America. As we waited, this young, big guy came through a line where we were. He and his girlfriend pushed their way ahead of everyone else knocking people aside as they pushed. They acted as if they were entitled and expected everyone to cater to them without apology. He was very rude and very proud he was who he said he was. I guessed he was maybe a part of a professional football team. Everyone around us was asking, ”Do you know who that is?” His actions were very hurtful.

The Bible reading for today teaches us we are to be humble just like Jesus. Jesus is God’s Son and is more important than anyone on earth. He is more important than any celebrity. Jesus was humble and he obeyed God. He was willing to come to earth to be mocked, to be beaten, and to be killed on the cross for us. God wants us to be humble and obedient just like that.

Our Bible reading comes from Philippians 2:5-11. Again, I encourage you to read your Bible. I know, years ago at church sometimes they would ask everyone to raise their hand who had read their Bible every day that week. We should all become Bible readers. Our faith grows that way, and it helps us to grow more and more humble. That is what our scripture reading is about today--about the importance of living our lives so that we will be pleasing to God. God wants Him to be the most important thing in our lives. I know a man who won a “Humility Pin” in his church. They gave him this honor and he was exciting to have it. Then they took it back the very next Sunday because he wore it. We have to be careful to keep ourselves in check. Always remember that Jesus loves us and died for us. That he wants to be with us for all of eternity. In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus, Philippians 2:5 says. Let’s do that today. Let us try to be like Jesus Christ.
~Philip

2010-10-14T11:21:00.001-05:00

Keep On Trying
Philippians 31:12-21

Our Bible reading today encourages us to keep on trying. By the way, I hope you are reading the verses every day. It will increase your faith--faith grows that way. The Bible tells us “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”

The scripture comes from Philippians 3:12-21, and Paul is talking about reaching a goal. That goal is trying to be the kind of people God wants us to be. The question is, are we really trying to reach that goal? Revelation says if we are living faithfully we will be given a crown of life after this life is over. This means if we are faithful and trying to obey His will He will give us life forever with Him when this life is over. None of us are perfect the Bible teaches. “All of us have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.” With that in mind, sometimes with heavy hearts, we think “I don’t know that God can ever forgive,” but the fact is God can and wants to forgive us.

Others, if they are God like, will be what God wants us to be and will forgive and let us continue to grow even through bad experiences. We have to have a goal to stay focused on, Ephesians 3:12 suggests. It says I don’t mean that I am like God wants me to be. I have not reached that goal, but I have continued to try to reach the goal. When this day is over I can say I have tried. “

~Philip

2010-10-08T11:31:00.000-05:00

It May Take Several Months

Acts 19:1-10 At 19:8

We have been talking about things that took several months to happen. In today’s scripture reading, Acts 19:1-10, Paul went into the city of Ephesus. There he found some people who loved and worshipped God. Paul helped these people to learn about Jesus, and he went into the synagogue there and tried to persuade the people to believe in Jesus. He preached there, the Bible says, for three months. Some of those Jewish people did accept, but others did not accept Paul’s message.

It didn’t stop Paul from preaching the word. Paul continued to tell people about Jesus. As a matter of fact in verse 10 of our scripture reading, the Bible says, “Because of this work every Jew and Greek (those folks of course were none Jewish people) heard the word of the Lord.” What a great thing to be said of you. It may take months for this to happen, but what about us. Could over the course of several months could you at least tell your family and friends the message of Jesus Christ?

Paul was willing to tell everyone about Jesus even the ones who did not accept the things he said. He was faithful, consistent and willing to persevere under all odds. He did not give up. Later many people did become Christians because Paul was will to stand up. Maybe you have tried telling your family and friends about Jesus but they didn’t accept what you said before. Let me encourage you again not to give up--just keep trying. Some will reject but others will be persuaded to become followers of Jesus because of your willingness to teach.

The Bible says Paul went into the synagogue and spoke very boldly, and he continued doing this for three months.( Acts 19-8) What if we did it for a little time, what if we did it for just three minutes or three days with somebody? Start somewhere and then keep going. Use the time God gives wisely. The Bible says we have a responsibility to redeem the time. In other words use the time and not waste it or discard it but to use that time to persuade others to believe in Jesus Christ. Tell them they have to hear Gods Word, believe it, confess their faith, and be baptized. Then they need to continue to live faithfully by coming to church, by studying the Bible for themselves, by giving of their time, talent and treasures each day.

Come be with us--our service times on Sunday are 9am for Bible Classes for all ages,10am for Worship Service, an 5pm for Evening Worship. Our Website is www.elbachurchofchrist.com . We have information there about the 10th Annual Wiregrass Area Wide Lectureship which we are hosting this year.

~Philip

2010-10-07T15:14:00.000-05:00

Several Months

Luke 1:26-38

We’ve been talking about things that may take several months to happen. One of the great stories of the Bible is about a guy named Zacharias and his wife. They did not have any children. Our Bible reading comes from Luke 1:26-38. In verse seven the Bible says that Elizabeth could not have any babies and this made them very sad. God sent an angel to tell Zacharias that he would have a son. He even told him what that son’s name would be. Because of doubt Zacharias, who was a priest, was made mute--he couldn’t talk for all the months that Elizabeth was expecting her baby. Mary was her cousin and an angel came to her too and told her she would have a baby. Of course her son was Jesus the son of God. The angel also told her that her relative Elizabeth was going to have a baby, that she was old, but she was six months pregnant. Everybody thought it couldn’t happen but God made it possible. God blessed Elizabeth and Mary in a very special way.

Elizabeth’s son John grew up to be a great forerunner for Jesus. He went around preaching that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. Then Mary’s son Jesus would grow up to die on the cross for you and for me. This was part of God’s plan, his plan for our salvation. How can God make all this happen? Verse thirty-seven of our scripture reading says,”God can do anything.” That was certainly the case. He can use months to teach people a great lesson. In fact, when the baby was born he still could not talk and they asked him what the name of the baby should be. They wanted to name it after his father or some relative. Zacharias wrote “No” on a piece of paper-- that his name should be John. After that his tongue was loosened and he could talk again.

For all those months Mary waited to see what the Son of God would be. We know this -- that God uses time to develop people and to make them what He wants them to be if we will allow God to control our lives. Luke 1:25, says, “Look what God has done for me. He has helped me to have this baby.” Let’s look to God to encourage us to become one of His people.

Come be with us at the Elba Church of Christ.

~Philip

2010-10-06T13:05:00.001-05:00

Sometimes It Takes Months
Exodus 2:1-10

Over the course of this year we have talked about several subjects. One of the subjects we talked about was “Days”. For example, Creation: On one day He created the heavens and the earth, and on one day He created all the animals. We looked at those ideas of days in the Bible.

Over the next few days I want to look at the idea of months , several months for things to happen. Sometimes God uses months for plans to develop. That is the case of our story today. If you are reading your Bible, as I hope you are, please turn to Exodus 2:1-10. In that reading Moses was a baby. In that story Moses’ mother hid him away. Why? Because the Egyptian king wanted to kill all the boy babies. He thought the Israelite population was growing too big. There were already many of them and he thought that soon they would have an army of their own and it would be bigger than the king’s army. His solution to stop the growth was to kill all the baby boys born at that time.

As baby Moses grew, his mother kept him hidden, but he became more and more difficult to hide. After about three months the Bible says Moses’ mother did what we famously know--she put the baby Moses in a basket in the river-- the King’s daughter found him and took him to raise as her own son. When Moses grew up he took the Israelites out of slavery and brought them to the new land, the promised land. God gave him the special law, and Moses did all the things a person does as a leader.

God was using a time period that many would consider a long time--three months for Moses to wind up in the right place where he could grow up around the greatest leader of his time and learn about leadership so that later on he could be a great leader himself, maybe the greatest leader of all time. He led God’s people. God helped Moses’ mother save him from the king.

God will help you grow and to have the best life possible now, and of course, for all of eternity. Maybe the challenge today would be to ask God to help you grow and become what you need to be,
even if it takes months for it to happen. Keep depending on God to help you. If you are taking time to find God and to see God, one good place to do that is coming to our Bible Classes at 7pm on Wednesday evening . There is also a Men’s Bible Class every Wednesday morning at 6:30am. Come and be with us.
Sunday Class is at 9am, Worship at 10am, Evening Worship at 5pm.

~Philip

2010-10-05T14:54:00.000-05:00

God’s Plan
John 19:16-37

I have three children whom I love very much. God had only one Son whose name was Jesus whom He loved very much. But God was willing to send His Son to die on the cross. Why? So you and I could have our sins forgiven. That was really God’s plan wasn’t it. That was the plan of the Bible, really, from the beginning, where the Bible tells us how we got into this quagmire of sin. Then the rest of the Bible tells us how to get out of the mess that we got into. We see Jesus being the central theme of the Bible.

Our scripture reading today, John 19:16-37, tells us that Jesus died for us. That Bible reading tells us that Jesus suffered many things before he died. He was beaten, he was spit upon, he was nailed to a cross. These things he went through were terribly hard and must have been so sad for God to watch as Jesus suffered and took on the sins of all of us. Since God has nothing to do with sin He had to turn His face from His own son. Jesus said, “Why has thou forsaken me?”, knowing He was bearing the sins of the world for each of us.

The good news is that after Jesus died that was not the end of it. He didn’t stay dead He came alive. That could only happen, of course, from God’s power. Because Jesus rose from the dead we can live after we die. We can forever with God. What an amazing thing! God’s plan of salvation through Jesus is so wonderful for each of us. I hope you have already decided that Jesus is your Savior, and that you will do what God wants you to do. If not, let me encourage you to read God’s plan from His Word, the Bible. Don’t take my word for it, or anybody elses. Take God’s for it. As read we will see that God wants us to hear His Word, Romans 10:17, to believe it, Mark 16:15-16, to repent of our sins, Acts 2:38, confess our faith, Matthew 10:32, and finally he wants us to be baptized into Christ, a couple of verses we have already given you tell us that we should be baptized, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, There are many other places in our Bible that say we should put Him on in baptism, for example, in Acts 22:16, Here’s Paul, a guy who at the time was named Saul, was going through a big change in his life. He was already believing and had repented, and waiting to what God told him to do, and He said, “Arise, and be baptized, calling on the name of the Lord.” It is in that plan our hope can be secured. We need to make the decision to love Him, and to follow Him and do faithful obedience to His Will. The Good News of the gospel is in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Paul says I have told you the important stuff. He was crucified, He was buried, and He rose again on the third day.

~Philip

2010-10-01T11:25:00.000-05:00

Beyond the Sunset
Ecclesiastes 1:1-9

A man named Virgil P. Brock wrote a beautiful song entitled “ Beyond the Sunset.” This song encourages people who are facing death and it tells people who are still alive that there is hope after death or after the sunset. It tells of a place after death and that place is called heaven. A lot of people are sick and dying, and we’ve all heard it said that the death rate is 100%.

Other people think they have no hope after life, but that is not the case for Christians. We have great joy to come after this life. As a matter of fact, the Bible says we should look forward to a time when our life here on earth is finished and we can live forever with Jesus in heaven in God’s presence worshiping Him and praising Him. Our scripture reading today is Ecclesiastes 1:1-9, a text that would encourage us to look forward to heaven. But we are alive right now and we need to be trying every day to be like Jesus. That will give us confidence that God is still there when bad things happen to us. It will give us the strength that when temptation gets the best of us we can overcome despite our weaknesses if we can trust in God. We will then want to seek the joy that comes after death and when we see that sun going down we can be encouraged again to think about what will happen--that we will share eternity with Jesus in heaven.

I hope we are doing what it takes to go to heaven when this life is over, that we are doing what it takes to get that prize, the prize that is mentioned over and over again in the Bible that is ours because of God’s calling me through Christ Jesus and to this life above, Philippians 3:14. I hope that we are thinking about working towards that day when we will spend eternity there. The question really is for us beyond the sunset, after our death will we get to go to heaven? I hope we will and when we are there we will have gotten there because of our faithful obedience to God’s will. We will have heard what He said, believed in it, applied the things he taught us to do by repenting of our sins, confessing our faith, and being baptized into Christ. We will have been faithful to the very best of our abilities every day of our lives, giving of our time, talents, and treasures, by attending churches services regularly, by teaching other people, and studying the Bible for ourselves. What about you? Are you preparing for the sunset when your life on earth is over?

~Philip

2010-09-30T13:40:00.001-05:00

HEROES
Ruth 1:6-17 Ruth 1:16

Today people have many heroes. Those heroes come from all sorts of places. Some are movie stars, or famous athletes, or we look up to some people who are around us on a daily basis. Many of the heroes from the Bible are great examples for us. Many of my heroes from the bible were powerful leaders. Some did great things, like David. Moses and Joshua who were great leaders led well. They had bad things in their life too but led well for the most part.

You should check out Hebrews 11, which is known as “the Hall of Fame of the Faithful”. It is a list of names who faithfully obeyed God-- they did it God’s way. They were honored as a result. One of those heroes, as a matter of fact, was a lady, Esther, whom I admire in some ways for standing up for what is right. Another lady in the Bible is Ruth. Ruth 1:6-17 is our scripture reading today. I admire Ruth for her faithfulness to her mother-in-law, Naomi. After her husband died she chose to stay with Naomi instead of going back to her homeland--the land where she was born. Later Ruth married a man named Boaz and their great grandson was King David. So, in her heritage there comes King David. Later Jesus was born into that same family. Ruth is a great example of someone who followed God by following someone they loved.

Another one of my heroes is my Mom, because she’s interested in going to heaven. We encourage you to look around you and pick out someone you love who follows Jesus, someone whom you respect and who would give you hope. I have great hope that your mother is your hero too. That she is guiding you to do the right thing. Take time out today to thank your Mom for the good example she is to you. If she is not a good example, you can at least decide that you are going to be a good example to your children and become their heroes. There are many heroes in our world. There are many heroes in the Bible.

Our greatest hero is Jesus Himself who died on the cross for us. He was willing to come and be our sacrifice for sins. Let’s do what it takes to be with Him and go where He goes. The most familiar verse in the book of Ruth is our scripture reading today. Ruth said to Naomi, “Where you go, I will go, where you sleep I will sleep, your people will be my people, your God my God. “ Let’s say that to others around us today. Let us be one people and go to heaven together when we die.

~Philip

2010-09-28T11:06:00.001-05:00

Be a Good Steward

Gen. 1:24-28

Our Bible reading today reminds us that God made all the animals. Our scripture reading today comes from Genesis 1:24-28. I encourage you to read that whole chapter. I haven’t mentioned the 20/20 rule lately--to read 20 verses before and 20 verses after. In this case you might as well read the whole chapter. God had created all the stuff here on earth, and after he had created the land, the water, the birds, the animals, He made people. God said that people should rule over the animals-- take care of all the things. This is an example of stewardship.

Animals can be used for food. They can also be used for service. An example of that is a horse. It can carry people wherever they want to go. Sometimes animals become our special friends, even. Sometimes people don’t treat the animals like they should. Sometimes they are cruel to animals and they don’t take care of their animals and keep them safe. Proverbs 12:10 suggests that it is a good idea to do so. It is our duty to care for them. This extends to all of God’s creation and even to us as individuals.

God has given us the responsible of being good stewards of all the things He has given us. He tells us to take care of all the stuff. He gives us so many blessings it is hard to count them all. It is wonderful to see all the things God has created and see all the awesome things we have to enjoy in the world. Let me encourage you today to be a good steward. A steward is a caretaker over a particular area. God has entrusted each of us with certain areas to take care of, like our families, our homes, and the animals around us. He entrusts us with stewardship over our time talents and treasures. He expects us give those to Him. He expects us do what we are commanded to do and give as we have prospered. We should give back to Him, and in doing that He will reward us for our efforts. Let me encourage you today to be a good steward. It will make a difference in your life today and all eternity. We need to put God first. The way we put God first is to faithfully obey His will.

~Philip

2010-09-27T12:54:00.001-05:00

Jesus, our Anchor
Hebrew 12:1-3 Heb 6:18-19

My wife and kids love the beach, and they love Disney World. Those are their two favorite spots. They love those places better than any place in the world, except maybe being at home. They enjoy our family time there. They love going to the beach. Before we moved to Elba we lived in Niceville Florida. My wife and kids went to the beach about once a week with some friends from church. I went with them sometimes.

Sometimes one person would be in the water and not paying attention to where they were and before long the current would have taken them far down the beach. We laughed and joked sometimes about the people on the beach kept moving, when really it was the other way around. When they discovered how far the current had taken them, they would have to fight the current- - sort of swim up-stream to get back to their spot. We all have experienced that same sort of thing. In order for everyone to stay together on the beach one person would have to keep focused on the people on the beach and keep everyone right where they were.

Today I think we learn a great lesson from that. We need to keep focused on Jesus. We can do that by reading our bible and praying. Jesus is our anchor. He is our help, and He helps us to stay close to Him, to God. If we do not have Jesus in our lives the current of the world can cause us to drift away from God. But if we have Jesus as our anchor, that anchor will hold no matter what the weather is or where we might be.

Take your Bibles and read Hebrews 12:1-3, our scripture reading today. By the way, in Hebrews 6:18-19, the Bibles says that God cannot lie when He says something. He cannot lie when He makes a vow. Those things give great comfort to us who come to God for safety. We know that God is there taking care of us. Those things give us comfort and strength and the hope that God gives us. It is like an anchor the Bible says. It is strong and sure and keeps our souls safe, Hebrews 6:18-19. Spend some time reading God’s Word and studying to know what God would have us to do, then apply those things in our life. If we do that God will be well pleased with us, and we will have a better life because we decided to have that anchor that we all need.

~Philip

2010-09-23T12:53:00.001-05:00

Be Like Jesus
Col. 3:12-17

One day my wife and kids and I stopped by a park in Enterprise. We started watching these ducks. It was an amazing thing to watch--this duck and all the little ducklings. Of course, they were cute and my wife and daughter were oohing and aahing over them and the baby wanted to chase them. My oldest son and I were just talking about them, and we noticed that these ducklings were copying everything their mother did. If she pecked the grass, they pecked the grass. If she ran toward a piece of bread, they ran after her toward the bread. When the mother rested all the ducklings sat down close to where she was and rested too. When she started walking again, so did they. They eagerly followed her. They even went into the water with her, and even there they just followed along behind her as they swam. They were doing exactly what they naturally do. They followed their mother.

This reminded me that Christians should be the same way. We should be following Jesus every day of our life. The question is: Do we do that? Do we follow Jesus like the ducklings followed their mother? Our scripture reading today comes from Colossians 3:12-17. As we read that text we find that we as individuals should be copying Christ. We should be following Him. Many people follow other people who don’t follow God. We need to work on following Jesus today. Another text in the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 11:1, says “Follow my example, as I follow my example of Christ.”

What a great lesson to learn. We should follow Christ, and other folks can follow Christ by following our example. That was the idea Paul was trying to get across to us. He said, “Look, follow me, as I am following Christ.” It will make all the difference in our lives. And it will give us an opportunity to go to heaven together when this life is over. Make sure that we are being like Jesus. Make sure we are following Him in those things that He said, that He did, the way He acted each day of His life, and if we do we will be blessed as a result.

We would like for you to come be with us on Sunday at our Bible Classes, which are age appropriate for all ages. So come worship with us in spirit and in truth. You cann also checkout our website www.elbachurchofchrist.com

~Philip

2010-09-22T10:25:00.001-05:00

Enthusiasm
Acts 2:42:47

Why do you go to church? Is it because you think you really must go, or do you go because you really want to go? Our Bible reading today comes from Acts 2:42-47. In that text we learn about some Christians who were very enthusiastic about going to church. They were excited about what Jesus had done for them. These people wanted to be with other Christians. They wanted to learn about the apostles, to share communion together, the breaking of bread. They wanted to share their prayers for each other and about things that were going on. They even shared with other people who were in need.

We need to be those kind of people. They would share things that they had. They would give it and share it. That’s exactly how God would have it today. They would get together every day, can you imagine that..every day! They got together and had a church service of some sort. These Christians were very enthusiastic. Because of their enthusiasm their faith grew and their church grew.

If we want to be wise-- if we want to be like the early Christians, we need to have this same kind of enthusiasm. We should be excited about serving God and about going to church. We should be excited about seeing our Christian family and about sharing with others and helping with their needs. The next time you are with Christians friends let me encourage you to be enthusiastic about what is going on. Sometimes folks will talk negatively about church. Next time you are with some folks, instead of being negative, be positive about things. Be enthusiastic about going and about supporting the church and about working, and see what a difference it makes.

The early Christians met together every day in the temple. They had all things in common. They all had the same purpose. They ate together in their homes sharing their food and with joy in their hearts. Acts 2:46. What about us? Can the same be said about us? Do we love to be with other Christians-- are we happy to go to church? Is it a ‘have to’ or a ‘get to’? I hope that in our lives going to church and being busy doing all the things God would have us to do is a ‘get to’. I hope we will be like David who said, “I was happy when they said, ‘Let us go up to the house of the Lord.’

Come be with us for one of our services. We would love to have you there. We meet on Sunday morning for Bible class at 9am, Worship at 10am, and Evening Worship at 5pm. There is a Wednesday morning Men’s Class at 6:30am, Fellowship Meal at 6pm, and Midweek Bible Study at 7pm. Our website is www.elbachurchofchrist.com .

~Philip

2010-09-21T13:50:00.001-05:00

MARRIAGE

Ephesians 5:22-33

Many people in the world today face marriage problems, and sometimes these marriages end in divorce. It is good to know God’s plan before you get married. Paul tells about husbands and wives and how they should be with each other. Our scripture today comes from Ephesians 5:22-33. Again, I recommend you read with 20/20 vision-- twenty verses before and twenty after. Not only will you get a lot of Bible reading done each day but it will give you a good background about what is going on in the text. If we have a good background about what is going on textually we will have a better understanding of God’s will.

Here is the idea--when two people are married, they make a promise to each other. They promise each other that they will be married until they are separated by death. That man and that woman make a promise in front of their family and friends, and even more important than that, they make a covenant with each other and with God. God wants both the husband and the wife to keep their promise.

If you are thinking about your marriage today, if you’ve been working on it or if you are having to go back and revisit your marriage to make it better and work through things, make sure you are putting God in the mix.

If you are thinking about getting married, make sure that you know what God expects you to do. Ask God to bless your marriage and help you to keep your promise. If you are already married, ask God to help you be better at being a husband or a wife. Over in the Old Testament book of Proverbs 31:28-29, the Bible says, “Her husband brags about her. There are many good women, but you are the best.” This is talking about the way a husband will talk about his wife.

I recently have been working on a marriage service that will be happening on Saturday. I’ve been thinking about what to say and the things that are involved there. I’m going to say those kind of things, “Hey, keep your promise for the rest of your life. That is the way God wants it to be.” If we would all do that it would make a big difference in our lives. It will make the world an easier, better place to live. It will make it easier to connect with our spouse the way that we should. I think what we will see is that God will bless us in that marriage relationship if we will put Him in it from the very first. By the way, the way we put God first in our life is to faithfully obey His will. We hear his word, believe it, repent of our sins, confess our faith, and are baptized into Christ. We continue to do His will every day by studying, teaching others, prayer, and making sure we are giving of our time, talents, and treasures. Making sure we are attending church services, and making sure we are love our husband and our wife.

~Philip

2010-09-15T11:19:00.001-05:00

Jesus, Our Rock
Matthew 7:24-29 I Cor. 3:11

When he was much younger, and if the truth be known, even now, my son Brantley loved to pick up rocks. We would talk to him about having a pet rock and being a rock collector. He was constantly picking up rocks and throwing them in the water or seeing how far he could throw them. He loved to look at the colors of the rocks and feel the weight of different rocks. Brantley and I used to skip rocks across the water and sometimes we still do that. Sunday morning as we walked across the parking lot, Brantley picked up a large rock and threw it as hard as he could into the woods. I said, “Hey, that was a great throw!”

In our Bible reading today a wise man built his house upon a rock. In Matthew 7:24-29, Jesus was talking about people building a spiritual house or building their lives on Him. Jesus is the Rock. He is the sure strong foundation of our life. In our world today there are so many distractions, so many directions in which we can go. Some of the directions we have no business going. There is so much war and hatred, that people are constantly struggling and looking for answers to how to live and they really want to know. As people search for answers to their problems many of these people look for answers in the wrong places. They look to the wrong foundation. They try to look to alcohol or drugs or sex or whatever it may be.

What we all should do is read our Bibles. What we should do is listen to what God’s word has to say, and follow His instructions. We would be very wise to do so. I hope you have Jesus as a strong foundation in your life. Jesus wants you to trust him. He wants you to depend on Him for those things that you need. When you feel weak or confused remember that Jesus promised He would be with you forever. He is that foundation you can build your life on, and that is exactly what happens in Matthew 7, when the storms come and problems happen in life, that house that is built on the rock is truly founded.
In another place in the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 3:11, the Bible says these words, “The foundation has already been built, no person can build any other foundation. The foundation that has already been built is Jesus Christ.” Find Him today. Look in your Bibles and find those things in your life..we refer to those things as faithful obedience. Faith + Obedience = Salvation. I hope you will apply those things in your life so you will be pleasing in God’s sight. Then you can say your foundation is built on the Rock.

~Philip

2010-09-14T11:40:00.001-05:00

Redeemed
1 Peter 1:17-21

Christians sometimes use some strange words, words we don’t hear every day in our normal conversation. One of these words is redeemed. Recently one of our members came up to me after a Bible class and asked me what the word redeemed really meant? We had been talking about going from one place to a new place. As I was thinking about how to explain the word “redeemed”, all these things were going around in my head when I thought about my friend Jim Gueneer who does some wood working and restores old furniture.

At one point in time Jim had this chair which he found at the city dump or beside the road. It didn’t look like it could ever be repaired, but he took it home, took it apart, sanded down each little piece, replaced the broken pieces, put it back together, re-stained it, and did all the things needed . When it was done it looked brand new. That is a perfect example of what it means to be redeemed. God does the same with us doesn’t He. When we are beaten up, torn up, and a wreck as a result of sin and the things we have done, God finds us and if we will let Him, He will redeem us. He will make us new again. He will make us what He needs us to be. That is what redeemed is. The idea is really a biblical one. Jesus is the potter. He can make that clay into something special, and we are that clay. Jesus will mold us into what He wants us to be.

Today I feel like a new person in a lot of ways because I’ve been thinking so much about forgiveness and being redeemed. I have decided that I’m never going back to that old way of a sinful life, and I hope you have decided the same--that each day when you get up you say this day is another day of living a new life in Christ. I’m going to be everything I can be for Him. We give up that broken life, that old person and way of doing things. We give that to Him today, and Jesus will then take it and make something new of it.

Our scripture reading is 1 Peter 1:17-21. I think you will find some great instructions there about this idea of being redeemed. 11 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If any person is in Christ then that person is made new and old things are gone away, everything is made new.” Be made new today by faithful obedience to God’s will. Hear what He has to say, believe it, repent of your sins, confess your faith, and be baptized into Christ for the remission of your sins. We must then live faithfully the rest of our lives.

~Philip

2010-09-13T13:25:00.000-05:00

God’s Way
Philippians 2:12-18

Every day I face a struggle. This struggle is between what I want to do and what God wants me to do. I want to do things my way, and not God’s way all the time. When I read the Bible I see that God’s way is a better way. I sometimes struggle though and think--Am I going to do it God’s way or just do it my way.

Sometimes people will hear what God has to say and they will become angry or will say to God, “I know want it done your way, but I’m just going to do it my way. That of course is selfishness to some extent.. I say that because sin is selfishness and the Bible says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” God wants me to follow Him, and we need to realize that this debate over whether to do it my way or God’s, is really a debate that will be won by God. God wins, not me. God continues to show me again and again His way. We should accept that way.

Our scripture this week comes from Philippians 2:12-18. Here is a guy, Paul, the writer, who has done a 180, gone to the other side of the spectrum. He is now following God completely and it really has brought him a lot of trouble. He has been stoned, shipwrecked, and now he is in prison in Rome and is writing this book about Godly living and encouraging us to have joy that surpasses anything that we could ever imagine. He says now I’m trying to follow God’s way and as a result of following God’s way, this is a happier life. He says he has done his own thing and tried living a lot of different ways but it has never been as good as his life is now since obeying God. You might say, Paul, “How could you say that after all that you’ve been through?” The answer, “I haven’t been through anything compared to what God did for me”

Paul did those things that weren’t pleasing to God, and he would even say he did them with a good conscience. But he realized that he had been wrong. Now he says he is putting it in God’s hands. The same should be true with us. Maybe you are at a point in your life where you have never asked God to be a part of your life. You‘ve never asked God to be a part of your marriage, your business, your school, or in whatever you are involved. It should begin by asking God for help. Asking Him for help is as easy as praying and talking to Him, then examining ourselves to make sure our life is right. We should continue to communicate and ask for help. When He helps, thank Him for what He is doing for us.

My advice is that we should follow God’s way and let Him control our life. Some of us have messed up really bad. Some of us have done things we are ashamed of and certainly are penitent for. We know that even though we have messed up in the past, God can do great things with our lives in the future. So don’t complain or argue with God. Instead allow God to bless your life by your faithful obedience to His Word. Yes, the Bible says, God is working on you. God helps you want do the things that please Him, and He gives you the power to do those things, Philippians 2:13.

~Philip

2010-09-10T10:51:00.000-05:00

The Right Friends
John 17:14-19
Recently I was watching the Discovery Channel, or Animal Planet or one of those kinds of shows and saw a story about some elephants. The largest kind of elephant, I learned, is found in Africa. Both the male and the female of African elephant have large tusks and ears and they are very dangerous and hard to train. The African elephant is the most dangerous of all the elephants.

Another kind of elephant lives in India. It is smaller and has smaller ears. This Indian elephant is apparently easy to train and are used often in circuses and for work. The question becomes what would happen if these two elephants lived together.

The answer is that soon the Indian elephant would become dangerous like the African elephant. It would become wild and uncontrolled. Now, we can learn a great lesson from this can’t we? We can capture the African elephant and put it with tame elephants and soon it would become trustworthy and easy to train. It copies the actions of the other tame animals.

Christians can learn a lesson from these elephants. We tend to be like the people they associate with the most. Christians should not fellowship with evil people. We should not be around people who ignore what the Bible says and will not do what the Bible says. The Bible says we have to be careful about the friends we have chosen. If we spend time with evil people and get caught up in all of the stuff, we will be evil too. Be careful who your friends are. Be sure they are Christians and they love God and want to do what God wants them to do.

Take time today to read the Bible from the book of John, John 17:14-19, which is our Bible reading for today. 1 Cor. 15:33 is another good verse which says don’t be fooled bad friends will ruin good habits. Make sure we are doing it God’s way today, make sure we are associating with the people we need to be so we will get to heaven together when this life is over. It is tough sometimes and so easy to get caught up again in sin so let’s avoid it by keeping ourselves insulated from it with good folks around us.

~Philip

2010-09-09T12:42:00.000-05:00

Road Signs
Matthew 19:16-26

Our scripture reading today comes from the book of Matthew, Matthew 19:16-26. By the way, we encourage you to read with 20/20 vision--twenty verses before the text and twenty verses after. Someone might say, "You’re just trying to get us to read more Bible, and well, that’s okay too.

Faith comes that way–-faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. I have been able to travel a lot of places and been able to ride with people. Some of the people we rode with are scary people. Several times down in South America we rode with a person we referred to "Ivan the Terrible" because of his terrible driving. There were other times we rode with drivers who were much better and some who were even worse. All the time wherever we have been I’ve noticed there have always been road signs.

On our way one time we saw an accident where some folks had hit a horse and just up the street there was an animal crossing sign. Many of us have seen those kind of signs that say slow down, or school zone, or a sign with a deer on it. One time I even saw a sign that said, "Slow Down Accident Area Ahead". Just past the sign I saw where a car had flipped over into the ditch. Somebody must have ignored the sign.

In our bible reading today, Jesus tells us to obey His commandments. He says to us, "Hey, watch the road signs on this road to eternal life." If we do this we will be able to have eternal life. If we obey Jesus we will stay away from sin. Sin entraps us doesn’t it–it takes us further than we plan to go and keeps us longer than we plan to stay, and makes us pay more than we planned to pay.

Sin is certainly a terrible thing and all of us have been guilty of it at times in our lives. But if we obey God’s commands and obey what Jesus says, He is pleased with us. So take time today to study the road signs in the Bible. Take time today to learn what God wants you to do to have a happy and peaceful life here, and an eternally pleasant life in heaven when this life is over. The person who obeys God’s commands lives in God and God lives in that person so says 1 John 3:24.

~Philip

2010-09-08T11:48:00.000-05:00

Special Teacher
John 3:1-21

A man named Nicodemus came to see Jesus because he knew Jesus was a special teacher he wanted to learn more from Jesus. Jesus taught him about being born again–a very interesting concept for Nicodemus and for us as well. Nicodemus asked Jesus, "How can I, as an old person be born again?" Jesus explained to Nicodemus but Nicodemus was still seemingly confused. He asked Jesus, "How can this be possible?" and Jesus patiently answered him a second time about entering into baptism born of water instead of being born again of his mother.

I encourage you to read our scripture reading today, John 3:1-21, where we see that it is important for us to be like Nicodemus. There we learn that we should go to the special teacher and learn from Him. We should make sure we are doing what God wants us to be doing and make sure that we are following His Will each day of our life. Christians should always want to know more about God and Jesus and it is important for Christians to be patient like Jesus was–to continue to teach and to learn and to grow. Sometimes when things have been difficult and we don’t really know what to do, and where to go or where to turn, we turn to Jesus and He patiently works on us.

There is a song called "He’s Still Working on Me" to make me what I ought to be. The song says it took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars and then it names some of the planets, Jupiter and Mars, but He’s still working on me. When we teach a new Christian we should try to answer the questions with love and truthfulness. When we are older more mature Christians we still have places in which we are working. We know God is patient with us, and our prayer is that others will be too.
God’s Word is important. We should read it and study it every day. We should believe that it applies to our life and we should do just that--apply it to our life each day of our life.

Jesus answered Nicodemus, quoting from the book of John, "I tell you the truth a person must be born again. If a person is not born again, then that person cannot be in God’s kingdom. John 3;3. Read that text today of John 3:1:21. Look at that story again of Nicodemus and try it in your own life. Look to God and learn more about how to faithfully obey His will. We should pray today, "Thank you for teaching us through Your Word, the Bible. In Jesus Name amen."

Come be with us tonight at 6pm for our Fellowship Meal and 7pm for our Bible Study.

~Philip

2010-09-07T13:38:00.001-05:00

Thankfulness
Luke 24:1-12

My Dad is a preacher over in Greenville Alabama at the Walnut St. Church of Christ. My Mom is a school teacher, although when we were very young she stayed home to take care of us--my two brothers and me. We are surely thankful for all they did for us. They made sure we had a good home, food on the table, education, good clothes. I don’t remember, my brothers and I, especially when we were young, spending much time thanking them for all things they did for us. Sometimes I feel bad about the fact that I didn’t give them thanks more often. Maybe today they will read this update and hear me say thanks today, because I really do thank them for what they’ve done for me.

Most of us feel that way, we look at our parents, and even if the situation wasn’t the very best in the world where you grew up. Maybe it was a struggle constantly. You still might want to thank your parents for giving you what they gave you, and for taking care of you when you were young. That seems to always be the case.

Today we look and we say, “You know, God has given us everything that we have. He has given us a very special gift of His Son Jesus Christ who gave up His own life for us. We should be thankful to God everyday for the salvation He gives us through Jesus. God desires to be thanked. He wants us to say thank you to Him.

The way we say thank you to Him is two-fold. One is faithful obedience to His will. When we do what he says, by our actions we are thanking Him. The other way is with words themselves. We spend time praying and communicating with God, saying thank you to Him.

The first part of that-- the faithful obedience to God’s will, comes by hearing God’s word and believing it. The Bible says that unless I believe (and take action) by becoming baptized, I will be condemned. (Mark 16:16) We have to repent of our sins, Acts 2:38, confess our faith, Matthew 10:32, and by being baptized into Christ, Acts 22:16, Acts 2:38, along with other verses. This is faithful obedience--to hear, believe, repent, confess, and be baptized. Then we continue do all that we can to live faithfully. Are we going to mess up? Yes. Do we all mess up? Yes. Have I messed up? Certainly so, more than I would like to admit.

This brings us to the second phase of this--communicating with God--just saying to God, “Thank you for all that you have done for us.” Jesus died and rose from the grave for us., and we need to thank God for that sacrifice that the made for us. Our scripture reading today is Luke 24:1-12. Luke 24:6 in particular, says, “He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, “
~Philip

2010-09-03T14:45:00.000-05:00

A Cup of Cold Water
Mat. 10:37-42
I have been able to go on many mission trips throughout the world, and work as a minister in our local area. While we were going on these mission trips and also here at home, we tried to help people in need. They will come in and are hungry sometimes and we give them food. We are happy to share this with them. We count it a privilege when we are able to really help somebody. What we see though from the other end, some people are certainly willing to accept the help, others are hesitant and want to make sure there are no strings attached, others have even refused the help we want to give.

We know though that in doing these jobs-- giving help that God has given us the opportunity to do, there are those who know more about the church now. They know more about the good works that God is busy doing. Hopefully more of these people will get their Bibles out and study to see what the Good News is all about.

Our mission teams have built buildings and knocked on doors. We’ve done all sorts of things to encourage people. We’ve even tried to do one- on- one Bible studies with people. Maybe you can’t travel to another country to do this, but you can do something right where you are in your own area. Remember what Jesus said to His followers about giving just a cup of cold water that we would be rewarded if that is even all we are able to do.

Our scripture reading today is Matthew 10:37-42. The last verse of that text says if any person helps one of these little ones because they are my followers that person will truly get his reward even if he only gave my follower a cup of cold water, Matthew 10:42. You see, God recognizes the little things. He sees us when we do what we can--when we do our best. We should always strive to do that. Sometimes it is hard and we lose part of that battle, but let’s don’t lose the war.

In the end God will say well done my good and faithful servant. Here is the reward that is the result of you action on My behalf. Let’s put God first in our lives, let’s hear what He has to say, let’s believe it, let’s repent of our sins, confess our faith, let’s be baptized, let’s be restored once we have sinned and come back, and again be united with Him. Let’s make sure we are doing it His way, and if we do the rewards will be great.

Come be with us this Sunday. Check out our website at www.elbachurchofchrist.com. It has our time schedule and other events.

~Philip

"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
40"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. 41Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. 42And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

2010-09-02T11:11:00.001-05:00

Showdown
2 Tim 4:1-5 Proverb 17:27

In Wild West Movies there was always a good guy and a bad guy and they always had a showdown at high noon in the middle of town. They would face each other and draw their guns and fire. Sometimes in life we are in those kinds of positions when we want to have a showdown with somebody, but what we ought to do is just listen. It’s a lot harder to listen than it is to talk. You’ve been in a position sometimes when someone is attacking you it seemed, or they were mad for whatever reason. You wanted to speak up and defend yourself-- to step back and air all the things, all their bad laundry. But sometimes it is best just to listen, and you have to say, “Okay, I’m going to wait and to be wise and try to grow from this. I‘m going try to be the best person I can be to help myself and my family and everyone around me by doing it God’s way.

In our Bible reading today, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, we see that self control is important when your temper becomes hot and you become upset. Remember you are a Christian. The better thing to do is to sit there and listen, take it all in, and do what God wants you to do. It may be that you needed to hear it, or that you need to change something as a result of what you’ve done. It may be that you need to speak up, but we should first listen.

In the Old Testament book of Proverbs 17:27 the Bible says, ”A wise person uses words carefully. A wise person does not become angry easily.” This wise person trusts God and realizes that God is in control, and that God ultimately uses all things for good to them that truly love the Lord in His appearing. “ Let’s remember that as we go through life when things are hard sometimes-- things are not going well for us and we can’t think how it can possibly be a good thing. Let’s remember what God said that it will if we truly love Him. Come be with us at one of our services. We meet at 7am on Wednesday morning for Men’s Bible Study, 6pm on Wednesday for Fellowship Meal and 7pm for Bible Classes. We meet Sunday morning at 9am for Bible Classes, 10am for Worship, and 5pm for Worship.

~Philip

2010-09-01T11:48:00.000-05:00

Save People
Matthew 24:36-44 Mark 16:15

I remember a few years ago there was a television show that was popular called “Early Edition”. In the show this young guy would receive a newspaper a day ahead of time. Can you imagine that? Knowing what was going to happen tomorrow. He would read the newspaper and if there was some calamity about to take place--a person was going to have a car accident or die in a fire or something, he would do what he could to try to save that person. That was a made up story, of course, but there are people who die each day in different ways. We don’t know how we will die or when we will die. We may even be alive when the Lord returns. You know, He has promised to come again on the judgment day and to take us to where He is. He has a place prepared for us for all of eternity and it is up to us and our faithful obedience to God’s Will, or the lack thereof, that will determine where we will spend eternity.

The Bible tells us that there are things we can do to get ready for this. We must hurry and tell people that He is going to come again, and that the death rate is 100% so we need to be ready to meet Him. Our Bible reading today is Matthew 24:36-44. The people who will be gladly receiving His word will be grateful. The question for us is, are we telling other people about Christ, are we sharing the Good News with other people. None of us are perfect. In this world we can’t be perfect, although we are made perfect by the blood of Jesus Christ.

It is not what we do but what Jesus has done. If our hearts are right and we do it His way we can. Jesus said to His followers, “Go into the world everywhere, and tell the Good News to others.” Mark 16:15. Our job is to go and share the message with other people. Sometimes we mess up and sometimes we don’t do what we ought to do, but when that happens, we have to re- group, get forgiveness for what we’ve done and move on. We need to be telling folks what it takes to go to heaven when life is over. If we will do that it will make a difference not only in our lives, but the lives of those around us. Also coming and attending church services makes a difference in our lives. We would love to have you come and be with us here. Our website, www.elbachurchofchrist.com has our times of services and other information there about us. Check that out.

~Philip

2010-08-31T10:48:00.000-05:00

Praying and Forgiving
Ephesians 5:15-20 James 5(especially 5:16)

There are many times in our life when we need forgiveness. There are many times in our life when we are simply overcome with the struggles within us. We were talking Sunday night at our services which, by the way, happen at 5pm each Sunday, about fighting the good fight-- that we have to continue to fight even when we sometimes fail. We continue to fight even when we mess up and sin. The Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That certainly includes me and includes other people as well. All of us, to be exact, have sinned and all need to have forgiveness for that sin.

For those who have never become a Christian the way to get forgiveness for sin is to hear what God says, believe it, to repent of our sins, confess our faith, to be baptized and wash away our sins.

For those who have already done those steps and are already Christians but have simply messed up--who have not been doing the way we should have been doing-- we need to pray. We need to go to God for forgiveness for doing those things we should not be doing.

Prayers are also used to make requests to God for those who are sick and hurting, or those who are sad and need comforting. There are so many reasons why we pray and ask for those things that are needed. The Bible will say, “You have not because you ask not.” If we need something and are in a situation where we need comfort, we need to ask for it, and God will give us those things that we need.

We also need prayer to just say thank you to God. We need to thank God for the things we have, and all the food and the ways God blesses us. We should thank Him for our family and friends and church, and you name it…if it’s in your life in a positive area of your life you should thank God for it. The Bible says we should pray, and teaches that we set good examples when we are praying. If we really love God we will want to communicate with Him, to talk to Him, and the way we do that is through prayer.

I want to encourage you today to be thankful for what God has done for you. Ephesians 5:15-20, is our scripture reading for today, and Ephesians 5:20, in particular says, “Always give thanks to God the Father for everything. Give Him thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We should say, “Thank you God for all the things you have done for me.” Hey, check out our website at www.elbachurchofchrist.com. There you will find all the services times.

~Philip

2010-08-27T13:31:00.000-05:00

Seven Most Dangerous People in a Couple’s Life
Exodus 20:1-3, Heb. 10-25-27, Num. 12, Proverbs 11:5, Proverbs. 6:1,2 &5

All this week we have been talking about things that are important to our relationships, especially the relationship of a married couple. We have been giving you the most dangerous people in a couple’s life. We have talked about intrusive parents and overbearing in-laws, covetous people, a whisperer or busybody, and a flirtatious person.
I still have three more to give you today. The fifth dangerous person is a user or taker. Let me encourage you to send somebody who is a user or taker to a professional. Sometimes people come to us for help or advice. It will affect our relationship negatively if we try to fix everybody’s problems and not focus on our own. I mentioned this to folks Sunday as we talked about this, because it is personal to me. So many times people come to me asking for help and wanting me to talk to them. I’m a terrible counselor, but before you know it they will be calling every day monopolizing all my time, so we have to be careful with that. Sometimes I will get home and my wife will say, "Look you have been caring for them more than you have for our family. When you do that it makes me feel that I’m not important to you or first in your life.” “The kids feel the same way.” I have decided never to let that happen again.

Proverbs 11:5, and Proverbs 6:1,2, and 5, are all very important verses. The Bible tells us here that when people come to you wanting to borrow money....don’t do it--if the bank won’t let them borrow, you shouldn’t. They will come wanting advice....send them to an expert--don’t give advice if you are not an expert on the subject. The Bible says to flee from the users and takers like a gazelle running away from a hunter.

The sixth one is a jealous person. We should avoid a jealous person like the plague. By the way, if in a relationship one of the members in that relationship is a jealous person over every little thing, things need to change. We need to make sure we are not that person ourselves because a jealous person is dangerous to have around. You may want to read Numbers 12, the story where Miriam became jealous of Moses, specifically his wife who was not from where they were from, and talked about her. The results were devastating for Miriam .

The seventh person on the list is a distracting person . Here’s what we mean by this. Here’s a person who is distracting us from God-- getting our attention and somehow distracting us from letting God be first in our lives. And we are guilty of breaking one of those great commandments. You may remember over in the Old Testament in the book of Exodus 20:1-3, the first of those commandments is "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." It can be your boss, it can be someone who is interrupting the relationship as a couple. We need to encourage each other not distract each other. Hebrews 10:25-27

~Philip

2010-08-26T11:53:00.000-05:00

Seven Most Dangerous People in a Couple’s Life
Proverbs 5:3-6
Over the last few days we have been talking about the seven most dangerous people in a couple’s life. The reason these people are so dangerous is that they affect directly our relationship with each other and with God. These principals can be applied to all relationships in life. We’ve talked about Intrusive Parents and In-laws, Dream Killer or Covetous Person, and a Whisperer or busybody. Today I want to talk about a Flirtatious person. This one is so very important. A flirtation person is a very dangerous person. They can make you feel good for a while but ultimately if we are not careful it leads to other things. It leads to the devastation of a marriage and on a church. A group of friends, and you know the story and seen it again and again, this man or woman have an opportunity to chat with somebody else and they say things that make you feel good. All of a sudden before you know it you are engaged in a relationship with this other person.

In "His Needs, Her Needs", the book talks about having a "Love Bank", and you are really supposed to have one account and make deposits into that one account. But now all of a sudden you have opened up an account at two different banks. You are making deposits in banks in two different places. It’s not that you don’t love your spouse, but you love this other person too, and are dividing your love funds and making deposits in both places. As those accounts grow, the fact is, you are going to make some withdrawals. If we are not careful we bounce checks in our love bank. We zero out the account and things go negative very quickly. You know how quickly they can add up in a negative direction. That is what happens in relationships if we are not careful.

Proverbs 5:3-6, tells that the lips of an adulterous woman drip like honey. Their speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharper than a two-edged sword. By the way, there are only two things referred to as a "two edged sword" in the Bible–the Bible and an adulterous woman. Sometimes these women just show up and are around. My wife and I talk about this particular issue, and we’ll say, "Hey, we have got to be careful about this one. You know, she’s looking–it’s not that I’m so great looking, but it is that I may offer some things that a lot of ladies would look at and say, "That’s kind of I want."

Preachers, by the way, have problems with three areas and that is with money, pride, and women. But that woman will come to a church, and say that guy, he’s nice to his wife, he is doing what he is supposed to do, and has a nice stable life. She may not know what is going on, but she’s looking there and all of a sudden there is a problem. We call these women, "Big Eyed Jesus Girls". We need to realize we are in a covenant relationship with God and our spouse.

I was reading another book called "Ten, ten, ten". It says you need to ask yourself about a decision you may make now, "How am I going to feel about this ten minutes from now–maybe pretty good, ten months from now–maybe not so good, and ten years from now–probably terrible?"
~Philip

2010-08-25T12:00:00.001-05:00

Seven Most Dangerous People in a Couple’s Lives
Day Three-Proverbs 16:28 Proverbs 26:20

A whisperer or a busybody is the next person we need to avoid on our list of the seven most dangerous people in a couple’s lives. Even if you are not married this is the kind of person you do not need to be around. We not only need to avoid this person, we need to make sure we ourselves are not guilty of being this very person. A busybody or a whisperer is a gossip and always into everyone’s business. We need to be aware of this person and don’t bring them into our lives. Proverbs 16:28 says “A dishonest man causes strife and a whisperer separates close friends.” I believe even a couple could be separated by this kind of person. They are always saying, “Have you heard….. or Did you know…..”, and it is usually something that probably doesn’t even need to be said.

Proverbs 26:20 says, “For the lack of wood a fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer there is no contention.” Isn’t that interesting? Here the Bible is telling us that where there is no whisperer there is no contention or strife. It will cease.

In the New Testament book of 2 Thessalonians 3:11, the Bible says, “We hear that some among you are idle (in other words, lazy) they are busybodies. Big people talk about service for God and things that are needed in life and important to God. Let’s be careful not to be a busybody or a whisperer. If we are, let’s change today--don’t wait until tomorrow. Today we should take steps in God’s direction. The way we do that is through faithful obedience to God’s will. We hear what He says, we believe it, we apply it by repenting of or sins, confessing our faith and being baptized into Christ. Then we need to continue to study God’s Word, to pray, to attend church services, and live faithfully the rest of our lives. If we do those things God is well pleased.

~Philip

2010-08-24T16:30:00.000-05:00

Seven Most Dangerous People in a Couples Life
Day Two-Luke 12:15-21 Gen. 37:

We are talking this week about Summer Love and shoring up our marriages and other
relationships. By the way these principals can be used in many other relationships in
our lives. Yesterday we talked about overbearing parents and intrusive in-laws.
We need to get that out of our lives.

Today we need to talk about a dream killer or a covetous person--someone
who is jealous and negative about everything you want to do. Instead of helping
you plan a budget for a new house, he tells you all the reasons why you can't do it.
We need to be careful about those kind of people in our lives.
In Genesis 37, we find the story of Joseph and his brothers. Joseph's brothers
were jealous of his coat of many colors, of the way their father loved him, and
they were jealous of his dreams. Joseph dreamed a lot. He told them what his
dreams were and they got mad. They threw him into a pit and pretended he was
killed by some wild animal. They took his coat home and convinced their father
he was dead. They then sold him into slavery in Potifer's house. He eventually
was put into prison, and finally ended up as Vice President of the country. It is
amazing how God works. His brothers were dream killers and said Joseph could
not do it-- they were not going to let it happen.

A covetous person is a person who always wants to keep up with the Jones' and
are never happy for you. Instead they look at you and say, “It ought to be me who
gets all the stuff and all the blessings.” Our Bible reading today from Luke 12:15:21,
verse 15 specifically, says it doesn't matter. All the stuff doesn't matter. A man's
worth is not in the things he possesses. It is in his relationship with God and with
other people, so be aware in our marriage relationship especially, of a dream killer.
It will be detrimental to our relationships if we allow a dream killer to influence you.

We would like to invite you to come be with us. We meet at 6pm for a Fellowship Meal
on Wednesday night and 7pm for Bible Study. On Sunday, Bible classes start at 9am
for all ages, and Worship at 10am, with Sunday evening worship at 5pm.

~Philip

2010-08-20T14:15:00.001-05:00

Seven Most Important People in a Couples Life-Day Five
I Cor. 16:20 I Sam. 26:1-11

All this week we’ve been talking about summer love and strengthening our marriages. We’ve been talking about the seven most important people in a couple’s life: a wise person, a marriage mentor who has already been through what you are going through, a faith builder and encourager--someone who will encourage us in faith and all aspects of our life, a couple on the same journey, and a prayer partner. Now here is the seventh important person we need.

We need a church family. If we are going to have a church family, we first have to hear His Word and obey His will by repenting of our sins and confessing or faith, then be baptized into Christ and added to the church. We then can become a part of a church family. It adds so much to our lives and strengthens us.

In the Bible in I Corinthians 16:22, it says, “If anyone does not love the Lord a curse will be on Him. Come, Oh, Lord!.” So the idea is we should love the Lord with all our being. That’s the way we should all feel. I am always surprised when people come by the church asking for help and I’ll say to them “Do you have a church family, or do you have a church home. They will say no but we’ve been looking. We all need a church home and a church family. We need to go to church and be involved with other Christians, and respect those church leaders. Those people have been chosen to lead the church. There was a time in the Old Testament when David had an opportunity to kill Saul. Saul was looking for David in order to kill him. David did not kill him when he had the chance because Saul was God’s chosen one to lead the Israelites. We should realize when God is involved in a person’s life then we can connect with them . The way we get God involved our life again? --Faithful Obedience to His Will. We need to put Him first in our life we need to do His Will. If we will put God first in our life God will be pleased with us and our relationships will be strengthened as well. Let me invite you to come be with us at the Elba Church of Christ this Sunday.

~Philip

2010-08-20T13:21:00.001-05:00

Seven Most Important People in a Couples Life-Day Four
Person on the same Journey and a Prayer Partner
James 5:16-20

In the song summer love, love happened so fast and was a blast. We need to realize we need to settle in and be the people God would have us to be. This week as we talk about the seven most important people in a couple’s life, we’ve talked about the need of a Wise Person in our life, a Marriage Mentor, and a Faith Builder and Encourager.

Today I want to give you two others that are so important. You need to have a Person on the same Journey as you, and a Prayer Partner. Let me explain what I mean about both of those. We need someone who is going on the same journey as we are. They have kids about the same age and are at the same place in life as we are. This can’t be your mentor because your mentor has already been through this. Their kids are probably already grown. This is a couple who is there now. You need someone you can call and say, “Hey, we’re going, are you? And they can say, “Yeah, we are going if you’re going.” That’s an important person to have in your life isn’t it? We’ve all been in that situation
where we ask our wife, “I don’t really want to go, do you.” And she replies, “I don’t , but if they are still going we’ll go.” You all go and it ends up being a good thing you’ve done. We need that in our life. Ecclesiastes 4:12 is a great example of that. “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.” “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” I realize contextually we are taking a little liberty with that verse, but I think the principal is the same, and it certainly true in life. If we actually have people there with us who are going through the same thing, we are there together.

The second one we need to talk about today is the idea of a prayer partner. I’m not talking about the group of prayer partners that some of churches have. I’m talking about a person you can call to come pray for you and with you. A lot of times I have a person come to me and say, ”Hey, Philip would you pray for me about this?” I don’t want anyone to know …. I do, and don’t even tell my wife. The same thing happens to her sometimes. This is someone who is not excited about the juicy gossip they have just heard. This is someone who will just listen and then pray about it. They may not be the one who actually helps you solve the problem. They might not do anything physically about it, but this person is simply someone who will say I understand. I hear what you are say. I know what you’ve been through and I will pray for you. The Bible teaches in the book of James that the “fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

We also know the Bible says we are to confess our faults one to another and pray for each other. Build a strong marriage and use these great principals.

~Philip

2010-08-18T12:52:00.000-05:00

Faith Builder and Encourager
Numbers 13:30

As we continue our series on the most important people in a couple’s relationship, we have already talked about having a Wise Person, also a Marriage Mentor, and today we will talk about a Faith Builder and Encourager.

One of the greatest things a couple can do is dream big together. We need someone to help us to dream big for God as a couple. I believe we should give at least a tithe and as we give that ten percent make that a minimum standard not a maximum. We need to do that as a couple and we need somebody to challenge us to do it. We need this person to help us keep our balance in life, who will keep us stable as we go and keep us focused on what is important. This person will encourage us to do the right thing and to be there with us when we end up where we never expected.

I told a joke at church Sunday about a man who is in jail and he can’t call the Faith Builder because he is there with him. This is that kind of person who is there with you. Our text for today is Numbers 13:30. Here is Caleb. Caleb was one of the faithful spies who went into the land of promise and had spied out the land.

The ten other spies came out and said it is a land of milk and honey, but there are so many giants there that we can never take the land. The people were in an uproar and there in verse 30, the Bible says, “and Caleb silenced the people before Moses.” The picture I get is: Caleb stands up before the people and says, “Hey, listen, we can do this.” The quote from the Bible is, “Let us go up and take the land, because we can certainly do it.” “We can do this because God has already given it to us.”

We need a person like that in our marriages to say, “Hey, you can do this.” “Be the person you can be for God.” We need an encourager to be there with us each step of the way. We might even be that person for somebody else. As we look for the seven most important people in our marriage we need to realize that it needs to be more than one person because it takes it. It also takes a church and we will talk about that on the last day of our series. Come be with us tonight for our Fellowship Meal at 6pm and our Bible Class at 7pm.

~Philip