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Truths
Believed Among Us
It is not unusual, during home Bible studies, for someone to ask,
"What does the
It is truth that God is: Paul wrote, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19) God is the ever present, all-powerful creator of the universe. God knows everything about us and He cares deeply about our eternal destiny. How tragic that god is so often ignored. God is ignored in the political, social, scientific and educational realms of life. Evidence for God is so strong that one would be a fool to deny His existence. “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.” (Psalms 14:1)
It is truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Lamb of God: Peter said, "we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (John 6:69) Jesus died, was buried and rose again to make our salvation possible. (I Corinthians 15:1-4) Jesus lived a perfect life and therefore serves as our example. His teaching was with authority. (Matthew 7:29) He is the Lamb of God. “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
It
is truth that the Bible is the word of God: In John
It is truth that sin is man's problem: The Bible teaches that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) The miseries of this life are caused by sin. Sin brings a terrible payday. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23) Be on constant guard against sin! Give the Devil a fight!
It is truth that all should obey the gospel: Christ saves all that obey Him and only those that obey. "And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him." (Hebrews 5:9.) Gospel obedience includes hearing God's word, believing in Jesus, repenting of sins, confessing Christ, and being baptized. (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47) Disobedience is a tragic thing.
It is truth that Satan tries to cause Christians to be indifferent: Complacency or indifference is a terrible spiritual state. "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth." (Revelation 3:15-16.) There is no such thing as pleasing God while being just a casual Christian.
It is truth that not everyone will be saved: The Bible teaches that few will be saved and many lost. "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matthew 7:13-14) Only those that have learned the truth and been obedient to it will be saved. Let's face the fact that the majority will be lost. You cannot expect to enter that narrow gate without living the Christian life.
It is truth that Christ has only one church: The church is Christ's body. God "put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." (Ephesians 1:22-23) "There is one body (church) and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Ephesians 4:4-6) If you are not a member of the church mentioned in the Bible you certainly should be! Christ purchased it with His blood.
It is truth that how you live is important: The way you live your life will determine what reward you receive at judgment. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." (II Corinthians 5:10) How people think, talk, hear and do will determine their eternal destiny. How are you living? "Are you living right, should you die tonight, is it well with your soul?"
It is truth that God desires and deserves our worship: John wrote, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24) God desires, God deserves and God expects our worship. Singing, praying, preaching, giving and the Lord's Supper are the items of worship ordained by our Heavenly Father. (Ephesians 5:19; Acts 2:42; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Matthew 26:26-30) Christians must worship faithfully!
It
is truth that life passes quickly: In James
It is truth that there will be a Judgment Day after this life is over:
The Bible teaches both an appointment with death and the judgment: "And as
it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment."
(Hebrews 9:27) Each person is accountable to God for his life. (Romans 14:12)
Can you even imagine what that great day will be like -- that great Day of
Judgment and accountability?
It
is truth that there will be no second chance after death: The rich man
of Luke 16 proves this fact. There was no second chance. It was too late.
"Then he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send
Lazarus that he many dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for
I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that in your
lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but
now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and
you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to
you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us." (Luke 16:24-26) Do not
wait until it is too late!
Do not put off doing what you know you should for God. Opportunities
to serve Him pass quickly. Are you doing that which meets with God's approval?
Is your life built on His truth? Our only hope is through God!
- - - - Charles Box
News & Notes
1. Prayer List: In Need Of Prayers: Linda Bender, Jenny Boggan
(sister Joan Barr & Dennis Phillips), Dannie Box, Janice Box, Gary Bozeman,
Emily Cain, Janice & Meryln Carter, Paul Cottrell, Roy Goodwin, Ramona
Gravely, Ron Green, Montine Hardin, Evan Hartsell, Abbie, Austin, & Andrew
Herring, Robert Homlberg, Frank Johnson, Darrell
Jones, Mary Lawrence, Joyce Massey, Jason Owens, Glen Phillips, Mary Powell,
Meg Sellers, Jeff Spann, Roger Strange, Doris Taylor, Winston Temple, Brittany
Till, Corrine Till, and Barbara Walker. Crowne Health Care: Laura Ellis,
Kathy Johnson, Myrtle Perdue, Bertha Phelps, and Iva Lou Wright.
2. Sympathy
Expressed: Our love and sympathy is expressed to Mary Riley in the
death of her sister, Annie Williams. Her funeral was in
3. Please
Pray For: (a)
Sam Sanders, son of Jerry Sanders is serving in the
4 House Fires: Two families need our prayers and help as a result of house fires. Please pray for and do what you can to help and encourage (a) The family of Daniel & Angela Coplen (see bulletin board for things need), and (b) Emily Crawford and her family (granddaughter of Nelson & Nell Daughtry).
5. Fifth Sunday Meal: The church will share a meal together on Sunday, October 29th following the morning worship. Please participate.
6.
7. Birthdays: Celebrating birthdays this week are: November 1st LeRoy Boutwell and Steve Hoffman, November 2nd Ann Daughtry, Patrick Lucas, and Susan Till, November 3rd Madden Bozeman, Stacey Harrell, and Wilmer Howell, and November 4th Tiera Nall.
8. Visitation
Program: Our visitation program meets on Tuesday nights at
9. Fall
Party: The Fall Party will be November 4th at Randy &
Lisa Bagents home at
10. Triplets Update: The Herring triplets are doing well. Remember the food list and also keep filling the box in the foyer with needed supplies. The item for this week is Enfamil formula (powder). Look for words EnfaCare Lipil on can. (This formula is for conditions such as prematurity and low birth weight.) It can be purchased at Piggly Wiggly and Target. *See the can on the table in foyer.
11. Thank You: Our thanks to: (a) McArthur Taylor for his work in fertilizing the grass, (b) Mike and Lora Gail Bagents for hosting the all age devotional last Sunday night. It was a great success.
12. Ladies
Bible Class: All ladies are invited and encouraged to attend Ladies
Bible Class which meets Wednesday morning at
13. Area
Events: (a) November 3rd
– Area Wide Congregational Singing –
Through A Child’s Eyes
Having the
opportunity to work with children & young adults brings me a lot of
joy. One thing I love about them is that
they can have great insight on even the “deepest” issues of life. With that in mind, I’d like to share with you
some excerpts from a paper written by an 8-year-old boy named Danny Dutton, who
lives in
One point Danny
made was this: “God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An
awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray
at times beside bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV
because of this.” Do you leave your praying up to the preacher? Mature Christians ought to pray more often
than just at bedtime & before meals (I Thess
He continued, “God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting his time by going over your mom and dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have.” Ever waste your time whining about something you think you “need” or “deserve,” knowing that it’s probably not what’s best for you spiritually? Children don’t monopolize the business of childishness.
One of the most
profound things that Danny wrote is something that our world desperately needs
to hear, believe, and obey. “Jesus is
God's Son. He tried to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God.
They finally got tired of him preaching to them and they crucified him. But he was good and kind, like his father,
and he told his father that they didn't know what they were doing and to
forgive them and God said O. K.” Do you
have the childlike faith that compels you to obey God? Danny concluded, “But...you shouldn't just
always think of what God can do for you.”
The Lord has asked us to repent of our sins and be baptized for the
remission of those sins (Acts
- - - - Darrell Powell
The Will of God never takes you to where the Grace of God will not
protect you.
Don’t just own a Bible; read it!
(334-382-3001)