The
Future Of The Church
It is impossible to separate being a Christian from
being a member of the church that Christ purchased with His blood. (Acts 2:47, Acts 20:28) The church of Christ is the precious blood bought body of our Lord Jesus Christ. As a member of the Spiritual body of Christ
we must share a deep concern for its future. What does the future hold for the
Walnut Street Church of Christ?
The future of the Walnut Street Church of Christ looks bright when we remember the power
of the gospel. It is the
gospel of Christ that produces the church of Christ. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the
power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and
also for the Greek." (Romans 1:16) Many congregations are characterized by
a disregard for what is reveled on the sacred pages of the Bible. They have forgotten
the power of accepting the Bible as God's authority. (John 8:32) On the other
hand, there are many churches, preachers, and elders that have great confidence
in the power of the gospel. Many members of the Walnut Street Church of Christ
will not move, either to the right or to the left, from the gospel. The
powerful gospel of Christ will never be destroyed. Jesus said, "Heaven and
earth will pass away, but My words will by no means
pass away." (Matthew 24:35) The power of the gospel to save man is an
abiding power. "The word of the Lord abides forever." (I Peter 1:25)
It is impossible
for one to have faith in the gospel of Christ and not love and appreciate the church of Christ. The future of the Walnut Street church looks bright because of the power of the
gospel.
The future of the Walnut Street Church of Christ looks bright when we remember the
faithfulness of many Christians. God
looks for righteous people. Ten righteous souls would have saved Sodom and Gomorrah. (Genesis 18-19) At the Walnut Street Church of
Christ there are Christians that love God, love the lost, love God's truth, and
are willing to STAND for God.
They will not allow
sin and error to go unchecked and unchallenged. Thank God for faithful members
of our Lord's church that are rooted and grounded in the truth and that will
not be tossed about by every false doctrine. "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." (I John 4:1) There
are many faithful and sincere brethren at the Walnut Street church that insist on loyalty and allegiance to
Christ in all teaching and practice. The future for this church looks bright
because of these many faithful brethren.
The future of the Walnut Street Church of Christ looks bright when we remember the
promises of God. Let us have
confidence in Jesus' promise that the church would not be destroyed. "And
I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against
it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you
bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be
loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19) Jesus made two great promises. Let
us have confidence in both. He said, (1) "I will build my church,"
and (2) "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Jesus knew
and warned of the fact that there would be attempts to destroy His church, both
from without and from within. Yet He promised that the powers of evil would
never defeat His church. There were a few even in Sardis that had not denied the Lord. (Revelation 3:4) The
promises of God make the future look bright for the Walnut Street Church of
Christ.
The future of the Walnut Street Church of Christ looks bright when we remember the willingness of so
many to work. In Nehemiah
4:6 the Bible says, “So built we the wall; and all the
wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to
work.” Many members of the Walnut Street Church of Christ have a mind to work.
God has enlisted all Christians in the great work of evangelism and of service
to others. Our good works spring from our love for God and from our desire to
give Him glory and praise. Children of God must be careful to maintain good
works. “This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm
constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain
good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.” (Titus 3:8) Scripture is designed to lead us to do good works. “All scripture is given
by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be
perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (II Timothy 3:16-17)
The future of the Walnut Street Church of Christ looks bright when we remember the love
that exists. As Christians we must abide in Christ, and His love
must abide in us. We must love our brethren, and esteem them better than
ourselves. Brotherly love is one of the very positive qualities of the Walnut
Street Church of Christ. Every soul that gains eternal life must be like
Christ, "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from
sinners." (Hebrews 7:26) These qualities will definitely produce brotherly
love. The "love" manifest by members of the Walnut Street Church is seen as they actively seek the well being of
others. The importance of love cannot be over estimated. It is the avenue
through which our faith works. “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision;
but faith which worketh by love.” (Galatians 5:6)
Love is rooted in the character of God, and patterned after His nature. “He
that loveth not knoweth not
God; for God is love.” (I John 4:8) Hear the inspired words of Paul in
Philippians 1:9-10, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and
more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are
excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.”
Love one another!
Let us ever love God, stand for truth, be on guard
against liberalism and extremism and always appeal to the Bible alone for
religious authority. "Beloved,
while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I
found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith
which was once for all delivered to the saints." (Jude 3) Nothing has
changed. Sinners still need to be saved. They still need to be added to the
church and serve God and others by being simple, New Testament Christians. Paul
wrote, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence
only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12) Are you a Christian?
Those that are saved are Christians. The saved ones
are added to the church. To become a Christian you must hear the gospel (Romans
10:17), believe in Jesus (John 8:24), repent of sins (Acts 17:30), confess Christ as Lord (Acts 8:37), and be baptized to be saved. (I Peter 3:21) “He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall
be damned.” (Mark 16:16) After baptism use your life to help build up the
church that Jesus died for!
- - -
- Charles Box
News & Notes
1. Prayer List: In Need Of Prayers: Jimmy Allen, Mae Beverly, Owen Burt, Brian Davis, Paul Deason, Mary Dewrell, Mac
Diamond, Birdie Lee Godwin, Roy Goodwin, Montine
Hardin, Evan Hartsell, Linda Holley, Wanda
Kyser (mother of Ann Cauthen),
Marlasia Lett, Keith Lowe, Dee
Matthews, Larry McNeil, Jo Ann Moorer, Curtis Newton,
Mary Powell, Austin Shows, Kelli Smith, Steve Smith, Brenda Stallings, Mike
Stinson, Lane Strickland, Harold Thompson, Corrine Till, Leroy Waller, Alma
Ward (mother of Bill Ward), Richard Watts, Johnnie Wesley, and Mary Williams. Crowne Health Care: Mary Alexander, Gladys
Childs, Kathy Johnson, Wallace Murry, Myrtle Perdue,
and Iva Lou Wright. Pine Needle: Mary Lou Phelps. Homewood Greenville:
Marie Walton. Georgiana Nursing Facility: Helen Autrey,
and Doris Pierce. Shut-Ins: Emma Lee Gafford, Jean
Hayes, and Doris Taylor.
2. Please Pray For: The
following people are serving in Iraq: Michael Howell, Taylor Bodie,
Todd Till and Paul Fullington. Pray for them often!
3. Fifth Sunday Meal: There
will be a meal after the morning worship service on Sunday, December 30th.
Everyone is invited to stay and enjoy the fellowship and good meal with fellow
Christians.
4. Congratulation:
Congratulation to Tim and Lindsay Croley on their
marriage last Saturday. Pray for them often.
5. Birthdays: December
31st Libby Bozeman, January 1st Olivia
Reynolds, Cindy Thomas, January 2nd Wallace
Murray, and January 4th Darrell Powell.
6. Thanks To The Youth: (a) To
Each of You, Thank y’all for the delicious food prepared for us and the fruit
basket also. I enjoyed the festive way the fellowship hall was decorated and
appreciate all your work that went into the preparations. God bless you all!
(You make us old folks feel so special.) Love, Gwen
Henderson. (b) Thank you for your
thoughtfulness in sending the beautiful fruit basket. I’ll enjoy it very much.
You all are so sweet to remember me. Love, “Papa Joe” Joseph Hall
(This is the great-grandfather of Alaina, Adrianna
& Anderson Bagents)
7. Sign-Up List For 2008:
The lists for communion, greeters, and van drivers for 2008 are on the bulletin
board. There are just two or three places left, please sign-up now!
8. Flowers: Thanks to the ladies that help with the flowers that
are in the auditorium and foyer. It really brightens the building for the
holiday season.
9.
Radio Programs: Remember to
hear our programs on WKXN 95.9 Sunday at 8:00 a.m., and at 8:30 a.m. Sunday
& then Monday through Friday at 12:30 on Q94 94.3.
10. Put These Dates On Your Calendar: (a) January 4th
– Area Wide Singing – Elmore Church of Christ – Time 7:00 p.m. (b) January 18th-20th
– Singles Seminar – University Church of Christ, Montgomery – Theme:
“Successful Christian Living” – Speaker: Matt Vega – Time 6:00 p.m. Friday
& 8:30 a.m. Saturday – Cost $25.00. (c)
February 1st-2nd – Financial Management Seminar –
Walnut Street Church of Christ – Dwayne Wilson (d) February 16th – Ladies Day – Century Church of
Christ – Theme: “Joy Deep in My Heart” – Speaker: Becky Blackmon – Time: 9:00
a.m. (e) February 22nd –
24th – Yes Weekend 2008 – Forrest Park Church of Christ Valdosta,
Georgia
(f) March 30th – April 3rd – Memphis School of Preaching Lectures – Theme: “Strengthening The Heart”
11. The Reporter: “The
Reporter” can be viewed on our web-site or received by e-mail. Send your e-mail
request to: wschurchofchrist@camelliacom.com.
If you receive the Reporter by mail and would be willing to receive the e-mail
version we would be grateful as postage is so expensive. The website address is: http:\\www.walnutstreetchurchofchrist.org.
12. Put God First: Give as
you have been blessed. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure,
pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your
bosom…” (Luke 6:38)
I’ll Take The
Pecan,
But Please Remove The
Hull
I love
pecans! One of my favorite times of year is the fall when pecans begin to drop
everywhere, candies and pies are made, and my stomach becomes very happy. But
if you have ever cracked a pecan open and eaten it, you may have experienced
one of my least favorite tastes. See,
the thing is, if you aren’t very careful to scrape the entire hull out of the
grooves of each pecan, you might think you’ve just put a spoonful of dirt into
your mouth. The pecan tastes great, but once it leaves its shell, all of the
remains of that shell and its hull must be fully removed for it to be the tasty
treat it has the potential to be.
This
reminds me of what must happen when a person is converted to Christ. A
Christian must consider him/herself “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ
Jesus” (Romans 6:11). When a
person puts Christ on in baptism (Galatians 3:27), he makes a choice to leave the worldliness
behind and submit to God’s will. Since
no one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24), a Christian must definitively choose God over all other
things.
So, it is a
problem when Christians try to be “in Christ” and “of the world (John 15:19) at the same time. Christians can no more
accomplish this than can a pecan is sweet with pieces of its hull still hanging
on. Paul wrote, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace
may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans
6:1-2) The “hull” that takes away from
the sweetness of your faithful Christian life may be some bad habit that has
carried over. It may be some relationship that hinders you from giving God His
proper place in your life. Whatever it is, let it go before it is too late to
be what God intends for you to be.
It is clear
that Christ endured the cruel death on the cross so that if we “die to sin and
live to righteousness” we can have our sins “healed,” or forgiven (I Peter 2:24). All that is left is for you to allow Christ to
remove the bitterness of sin from your life when you obey His commands to
repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 2:38).
-
- - - Darrell Powell
Don’t just own a Bible; read it!
Walnut Street Church of Christ
P.O. Box 551
Greenville, Alabama 36037-0551
(334-382-3001)
