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SHOW LOVE IN
EVERYTHING YOU DO
– FIRST CORINTHIANS SIXTEEN
–
In his last words in this epistle Paul explained
some things about the first day of the week collection. He also restated the
importance of love in every Christian action. He expressed his love for these
brethren and showed the importance of the love that all must have for the Lord
Jesus.
Contributions were being made to assist
poor brethren in
First Corinthians 16 provides an amazing
conclusion for a tremendous letter. (a) The brethren were encouraged to make a
contribution to relief suffering saints at
The
collection for the saints -- 1 Corinthians 16:1-4: A terrible famine
was taking place in
God's plan
was simple. Each Sunday each Christian must put aside or give part of what they
have earned. On the first day of the week the disciples came together to break
bread. (Acts 20:7) They were to put the money into the treasury so that when
Paul came to collect it that it would be ready in advance. Each one was to give
according to how God had prospered him. The Corinthians
were to choose some brethren to deliver the money and Paul would send a letter
with them. This removed any thought of dishonesty. Paul said he would even go
with them and he did go. (Romans 15:25-27)
Paul and
others to visit
Paul
encouraged the brethren to receive Timothy and Apollos if they were able to
visit. Paul said Timothy was doing the Lord's work, just as he was. Paul also
wanted Apollos to visit
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith -- 1 Corinthians 16:13-18: Paul's desire was that the brethren would keep alert
for any false teaching. He wanted them to be firm in their faith and to stay
brave and strong in God's service. But in all of this he wanted them to be
reminded to show love in everything they did.
An example
of the steadfastness that Paul desired of these brethren would be the house of Stephanas. They were the first in Achaia to have faith in
the Lord. Paul said, "They have addicted themselves to the ministry of the
saints." That means that they had done all they could for God's people.
Paul said that the brethren should hear the exhortations of people like them
and yield to their advice or admonition.
Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus came to Paul and it was such an encouragement to
him. They supplied things that were lacking that had not been supplied by the
Corinthians. They refreshed Paul's spirit. Having these brethren there was like
having the Corinthians present. These brethren were a blessing both to Paul and
to the church at
Special
greetings were sent -- 1 Corinthians 16:19-24:
Paul wrote the salutation of this letter
with his own hand. Many of his epistles were dictated to others. He personally
signed them to show that they were genuine. In his closing words he said that
if anyone did not love the Lord they would be "Anathema Maranatha." The idea is that they will be accursed
when the Lord Jesus comes! (2 Thessalonians 1: 7-9)
Paul's prayer for the Corinthians was that
“the Lord Jesus will be kind to you.” He wished for them the favor, mercy, and
salvation that is our though the Lord Jesus Christ.
To become a Christian you must hear the gospel (Romans
---- Charles Box
News
& Notes
1. Prayer List: and. In Need Of Prayers: Jimmy Allen,
Mae Beverly, Brenda Burkett Donald Davis, Ruth Davis, Birdie Lee Godwin, Roy
Goodwin, Hannah Hanks, Montine Hardin, Evan Hartsell, Linda Holley, Mary Lawrence, Dee Matthews, Jeremy McGill, Gary Moore, Jo
Ann Moorer, Clay Newton, Curtis Newton, Mary Powell,
James Reynolds (brother of Don and John Reynolds), Bobby Shields, Austin Shows,
Robbie Starkie (son of Eleanor Stabler),
Lane Strickland, Bobby Terrell, Jerry Thomas, Rhonda Thomas, 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.
2. Restored:
Lou Acerman responded to our
Lord’s invitation. Please remember her in your personal, private prayers.
Encourage her in every way possible. Our hearts rejoice that she has been
restored to the Lord Jesus.
3. Please Pray For: The following people are serving in
4. Jason Godwin back
to
5. A Great Work: In the year 2007 the Walnut Street Church of Christ
was able to give 28,158 pounds of food and supplies to the needy. Through our
Food Room we helped 173 families with 11,885 pound of food and supplies.
Through the Senior Supplement we assisted 37 families each month with food and
supplies. These families were given 16,273 pounds of food and supplies. You had
a part in giving more than 28,158 pounds of food and supplies at a cost of
$3,924.29. God bless you for your efforts! A special “Thank you.” to Nelson Daughtry and Dennis Lowery for coordinating the Food Bank
work. Thank you to all
5. Birthdays: February 6th Adam Garlock,
February 7th Teri Bagents and, February
8th Mary Lou Terrell.
6. All Age Devo:
There
will be an “All Age Devotional” after evening services on Sunday, February 3rd.
Parents are asked to provide chips, deserts and drinks. Kleenex and lotion are
also needed for a service project. See Lora Gail Bagents
for information.
7. Contribution
Verification Letters: The
contribution verification letters for 2007 are available at the
8. Visit Our Website: The website address is: http:\\www.walnutstreetchurchofchrist.org.
9. Put These Dates On
Your Calendar: (a)
February 10th-13th – Gospel Meeting – Liberty Church of Christ – Speaker James
Watkins – Time nightly 7:00 p.m. & Sunday Bible Class 9:00 a.m. and Worship
10:00 a.m. (b) February 16th – Ladies Day – Century Church of Christ –
Theme: “Joy Deep in My Heart” – Speaker: Becky Blackmon – Time: 9:00 a.m., (c)
February 22nd – 24th – Yes Weekend 2008 – Forrest Park Church of Christ
Valdosta, Georgia, (d) March 30th – April 3rd – Memphis School of
Preaching Lectures – Theme: “Strengthening The Heart”, (e) June
22nd-26th – Vacation Bible School – Walnut Street Church of Christ, and (f)
July 6th-13th – Backwoods Christian Camp – Please participate! Please see
Darrell Powell or Charles Box if you are interested in participating, either as
a camper or a counselor.
10. Thank you Jason:
We had some difficulty with the P.A. system and Jason
Owens took care of getting that corrected. Thanks Jason! The Walnut Street
Church of Christ is blessed to have so many that do what they can to help.
The Difference The Bible Makes
God has done some incredible and amazing things for mankind. In fact, nothing greater has been, will be, or could be done than what our God has done for us. But, let’s imagine for a moment that all of God’s gifts were still in place in our world, only, the Bible had never been written. What kind of world would that be?
Without the Bible, there would be no answer
to the question, “How did we get here?” The universe and mankind would not even
exist if God had not created them (Genesis 1). But think how confusing and
mysterious the world would be if we couldn’t open the pages of the Bible and
read, “In the beginning, God…” The Bible gives us the knowledge we need to
understand our origin as well as “all things that pertain to life and
godliness” (II Peter 1:3).
Without the Bible we would not realize our
lost condition. All people would still be lost because of sin’s devastating
effects, but how would we know that without the Word? The Bible tells us that
man sinned in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6), and that sins separate us from
the God of heaven (Isaiah 59:1-2). Paul warns us that “all have sinned” and
that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans
Without the Bible, all people everywhere
would be hopeless. Remember, we’re imagining a world without the Bible, in
which God has still done all the other things that we know He has. It would still be true “that Christ died for
our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (I
Corinthians 15:3-4). But without the Bible, “the power of God for salvation”
(Romans
Is this the world that you CHOOSE to live
in? Do you walk blindly through life
without paying any attention to God’s holy, life-giving word? Only those who “hold fast to the word” will
be saved (I Corinthians 15:2; John
- - - - Darrell Powell
Discipline
does not break a Child’s heart nearly as often as the lack of it breaks a Parent’s heart!
Don’t
just own a Bible; read it!
(334-382-3001)