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BulletinGold
#200
September
2018 Vol
18 #9
September
2018
BG#
200
Vol.
18 No. 09
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The Bible Matters
By Rob Albright
The Bible is God’s
unique communication to all mankind. I
know there are many who do not believe
the Bible is from God, but those of us
who “trust and obey” God’s Word, are
experiencing changed lives.
The Bible is not a
book of fables. It is the truth from God
(John 17:17). It is historically and
archaeologically accurate and that is
part of the proof that shows Divine
authorship.
Far too many say it
does not matter what Jesus said or did.
It does matter (John 8:24; 20:30-31).
The things written in the Bible are
designed to bring us to have faith
(Romans 10:17) in Jesus.
We read in the Bible
how Jesus, the Son of God, died for our
sins (Romans 5:8-9) and He arose from
the dead for our justification (1
Corinthians 15). Since Jesus is “the
way, the truth, and the life” (John
14:6), should we not listen, obey, and
abide in Jesus? (Hebrews 5:8-9).
- Rob Albright serves as
one of the ministers at the Northwest
Church of Christ in Greensboro, NC. He
may be contacted through the
congregation's website: http://www.nwchurchofchrist.com/
Rob also serves on the board of
directors of the Carolina Messenger.
Please visit their website at: https://carolinamessenger.wordpress.com/
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Don't
Drink the Water
By Alan Smith
"My husband and
I were cleaning the church building one
evening and our three-year-old son was
'helping' us. We walked up to the
baptistry to make sure nothing was in
the water that shouldn't be and our son
said, 'You can't drink that water.' I
asked him, 'Why can't we drink the
water?' and he replied, 'Because it has
sins in it.'" (taken from "A Sunday
Afternoon With the Preachers' Wives")
It does seem to
make sense, doesn't it? If all our sins
are washed away at the point of baptism
(Acts 22:16), it's easy to see how a
child could mistakenly think they just
collect there in the water. If that were
really true, it would be important to
drain the baptistry frequently!
I'm thankful,
though, that those sins don't collect in
the bottom of a pool of water. They
don't get piled up in a closet somewhere
ready to be pulled out at a later time
like a load of dirty laundry. They don't
get stored on a hard drive in case a
"search" needs to be made to find them.
No! Thank God, they are removed, blotted
out, wiped clean by the blood of Jesus
Christ, and we are able to rise from the
water a new creature!
"As far as the
east is from the west, so far has he
removed our transgressions from us."
(Psalm 103:12)
- Alan Smith, minister for
the Cruciform Church of Christ in
Spring Lake, North Carolina, may be
contacted at alansmith.servant@gmail.com
or through the congregation's website:
http://www.cruciformcoc.com/
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I Love
the Mountains
By David R.
Ferguson
Although
I was born and bred in central Illinois,
I love the mountains. I love the thought
of them, I love their grandeur, and I
love the way they majestically and
seemingly endlessly march in procession
as far as the eye can see.
Maybe
there is something about mountains and
their connection to God that has drawn
people to them, just as people have been
drawn to rainbows and their connection
to God. The very dwelling place of God
Himself is Heaven, and this dwelling
place is described as being of the
mountains. The psalmist declared, "Great
is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God, in the mountain
of His holiness. 2Beautiful
for situation, the joy of the whole
Earth, is Mount Zion, on the sides of
the north, the city of the great King.
(Psalm 48:1-2)
Jesus
often retreated to the mountains to
spend time with His Father. “And when He
had sent the multitudes away, He went up
into a mountain apart to pray: and when
the evening was come, He was there
alone” we learn in Matthew 14:23.
Climbing
the mountain of God is what our
Christian walk of faith is all about. It
is a steep climb that can seem at times
to be dangerous as the storms of life
assail us. Our God will shelter us
during these times of storm, just as His
word promises. Psalm 61:3 tells us, “For
Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a
strong tower from the enemy.” Just as
the mountains of God offered protection
to the city of Jerusalem, God is also
described as offering protection to His
people in this manner: “As the mountains
are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord
is round about His people from
henceforth even forever” (Psalm 125:2).
Yes,
mountains are so awesome and
breathtaking to behold, but they are not
our salvation. Our salvation is from THE
Rock, Jesus Christ. Whatever you may be
dealing with, you may just need to climb
up to spend time with the Lord. God
wants us to learn to climb to the top
and focus every aspect of our life on
His will. Let us take out some time this
weekend to try it! “From the end of the
Earth will I cry unto Thee, when my
heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the
Rock that is higher than I” (Psalm
61:2).
May the
Lord bless you and your family today!
- David R.
Ferguson preaches for the Lakeland
Church of Christ in Mattoon,
IL. He may be contacted
through the congregation's Facebook
page: https://www.facebook.com/lakelandchurchofchrist/
or davidferguson61@yahoo.com
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A Working Church is God’s
Idea
By Joe Chesser
We are
celebrating Labor Day this weekend.
According to Wikipedia, Labor Day
“constitutes a yearly national tribute
to the contributions workers have made
to the strength, prosperity, and
well-being of their country.” Wouldn’t
it be nice if once in a while we would
take time to recognize the volunteer
work so many Christians give that makes
the local congregations stronger and
healthier?!
It
has often been said that 80% of the work
accomplished in a congregation is done
by about 20% of the members. That’s not
true of all congregations, but I’m
afraid it may be in many churches. On
this Labor Day weekend I’d like to
remind you that a working church is
God’s idea. It’s God’s idea that every
member of every congregation be actively
fulfilling the work God gives them to
do.
Sometimes
Christians are tempted to think of the
local church as just another civic
organization where the members are free
to choose to do whatever they want, or
nothing at all. Just pay their dues (put
something in the collection) and all
will be well.
God
has a different idea. Those who are
saved by the grace of God through the
blood of Jesus are “God’s workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for
us to do” (Eph. 2:10 – emphasis mine).
God has an idea what He wants
accomplished by His people … and He
wants them to do it! When we become
Christians God gives each of us
gifts/talents, and He expects us to use
them (Matt. 25:14-30). “We have
different gifts, according to the grace
given us” (Rom. 12:6). God places
leaders in the church “to prepare God’s
people for works of service” (Eph.
4:11-12). He expects “each part to do
its work” (Eph. 4:16). By doing so, the
whole body, the church, “builds itself
in love” (Eph. 4:16). To the Corinthians
Paul wrote, “Now to each one the
manifestation of the Spirit is given for
the common good … and he gives them to
each one just as he determines” (1 Cor.
12:7, 11). A working church is God’s
idea. He supplies the abilities for each
member to use. He supplies the church
(body) within which the members do their
work. He provides the leadership to
equip the members. He provides the
reward for those who are faithful in
what they have been given and the
punishment for those who choose to
neglect their God-given work.
The
question is not if you are doing as much
or more than others. The question is:
are you doing what God has in mind for
you to do to build the church!
- Joe Chesser preaches for the Fruitland
Church of Christ, Fruitland, MO.
He may be contacted at joeandareva@yahoo.com
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God
Commissions Joshua
By Larry Miles
After
the death of Moses, Joshua led the
Children of Israel into the Promised
Land. Here in Joshua 1:1-9 we read of
the commission given by the LORD
Himself. We can make application for
ourselves from this passage on how
we are to regard the Word of God.
He
promises Joshua and us that, if we obey
Him He will never forsake us (Joshua
1:5). Joshua 1:7-8 tells us what the
LORD told Joshua regarding the Word of
God. Christians today must appropriate
these verses for themselves. Remember,
no truth of God’s Word is truly yours
until you find it for yourself in the
Bible. We must be like the Bereans in
Acts 17:11.
Joshua
is told to do everything “according to
the Law” that Moses taught him.
This tells us that the whole counsel of
God is important, that all of God’s Word
is true, not just the parts we like (II
Timothy 3:16-17). The LORD instructs
Joshua not to turn from the center of
His Word. We must be found
believing and teaching the
same message everywhere we go (II
Timothy 4:1-8).
In
Joshua 1:8 we see the importance of
knowing the Word of God; that is,
knowing what you believe and why. A
Christian who knows why he is one will
not fall into apostasy and be led astray
by the Devil. Joshua
is further instructed to “meditate on
the Word, day and night.” Meditating on
God’s Word goes beyond studying His
Word. It tells us that we have be
willing to put in the time needed to
grow “in the grace and knowledge
of the Lord Jesus.” We must be like
Joshua and be strong and courageous in
the Lord, and being willing to share the
Word of God with all we come in contact.
Joshua had the opportunity to live
out his faith, the same can be said for
us. Joshua 1:9 lets us know that
wherever we go, the Lord is with
us. God will equip us for service if we
will let Him. We must, as the hymn
writer says, “take the Name of Jesus
With You…” So I say to myself and to
you, “Onward Christian Soldiers….” let’s
keep the Cross of Jesus uplifted. The
world is lost without Christ—we
have been given the opportunity to help
them find HIM!
- Larry Miles
lives in Louisville, KY and
publishes "Larry's Lines" several
times a week. Copyright 2018. Visit his
website: http://larryslines.com/
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The Lord Looks Down From
Heaven
By J. Randal Matheny
The Lord looks down from heaven on our
race,
In search of someone wise to seek his
face;
But who will praise his name and do his
will,
To cease from fools, and find in God his
fill?
Now who can worship in his holy house?
He whose lips refuse to gossip or
grouse,
The blameless, righteous life, all sin
removed,
Will stand forever, a soul by God
approved.
Be wise, then, men and women on earth
below,
The Lord invites us come, this path we
know;
In his communion of love he makes us
whole,
In him, our joy, our crown, our glorious
soul.
-
J. Randal Matheny edits and writes UPLift,
an inspirational ezine. He
may be contacted here: <http://randalmathenycom/>.
When reprinting this
material, please include the
following:
Copyright (c) 2018 J. Randal
Matheny
All rights reserved. You may
forward the
email to friends as is. You may
not alter
it in any way or remove any text
or
attributions.
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Afraid
of the Light
By Ron Adams
We can
understand why some children are afraid
of the dark. They are fearful because
they can’t see what is there. But why
would some adults be afraid of the
light? It’s because they don’t want to
see what’s there! “But all things become
visible when they are exposed by the
light…” Ephesians 5:13.
Fear of
Exposure
“And this is the judgment,
that the light is come into the world,
and men loved the darkness rather than
the light; for their deeds were evil.
For everyone who does evil hates the
light, and does not come to the light,
lest his deeds should be exposed.” John
3:19-20
Light
Versus Darkness
Why all
the furor over God, the Bible, and
Morality? Why are Christians being
criticized for their belief? Why the
demand to “turn off the light?” Because
darkness conceals, light reveals. Jesus
is the light of the world. And His
followers are the light of the world.
Christians
are to let their light shine to reveal
their good works, so that others may
glorify their Father who is in heaven
(Matthew 5:16); and to expose the evil
deeds of darkness.
Do
not participate in the unfruitful deeds
of darkness, but instead even expose
them; for it is disgraceful even to
speak of the things which are done by
them in secret. Ephesians 5:11-12
May
our light shine ever so bright!
- Ron Adams publishes F.Y.C., a monthly
publication. Bible references are
from the NASB except where another
translation is referenced. Back
issues are archived at http://ra10ar.com
Be thoughtful and kind. All rights
reserved. © 2018
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Does
This Appeal to You?
By Edd Sterchi
A church that is
nondenominational - striving to restore
the organization, doctrine, and actions
of the church of the New Testament
without the problems and trappings of a
man-made structure. A church like this
would truly be striving to be the Lord’s
church (Matthew 16:18; Colossians 1:24).
A church with no
creed but the Bible - exalting Christ as
the only head of the church and His
gospel as the only source of authority
and doctrine, knowing that adding to or
taking away from the New Testament
authority is dangerous and deadly
(Galatians 1:18; Revelation 22:18-19).
A church with
spiritual and truthful worship (John
4:24) - worshiping simply as the
first-century Christians were instructed
to do. Since the Lord built the church
(Matthew 16:18) and purchased it with
His blood (Acts 20:28), shouldn’t He be
the one to determine how the church
worships Him?
A church that is
active and zealous for the Lord -
evangelizing, edifying, doing benevolent
deeds, and exalting the Lord in
everything it does (Titus 2:14).
A church whose
members are striving for righteousness -
knowing that the church will be
presented to God perfect and holy
(Ephesians 5:27), but in the meantime,
doing their best to live pure and holy
lives and aspiring to “grow in the grace
and knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
A church that
feels like a family and where love is
expressed - fulfilling the Lord’s
command to “love one another” (John
13:34-35), having pure and sincere
fellowship with one another and with
Christ (1 John 1:3,7).
We in
the churches of Christ
are doing our very best to be this
church. We invite you to join us to help
make this effort a reality.
If you have any
questions about our worship service or
concerning anything we do as a church,
we encourage you to talk to our elders
or myself.
- Edd Sterchi preaches for
the Broadway Church of Christ in
Campbellsville, KY. He may be
contacted through the congregation's
website: http://www.broadwaychurchofchrist.net/
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Why Did Jesus Have to Take
on Flesh and Humanity?
By Travis
Robertson
Why
did Jesus have to take on flesh and
humanity? This question was always on my
mind growing up in the church. Why did
Jesus have to come in the flesh? Since
He is God, why couldn’t He just say this
is the way we are going to do things now
for you to be saved from your sins. I
found it hard to understand why God had
to come in the flesh. The Hebrew writer
gives us some answers in this area. Read
Hebrews 2:9-18.
He became flesh so that He
could die. Vs. 9
He became flesh so He could render
powerless the one who had the power of
death. Vs. 14
He became flesh to release people from
the fear of death. Vs. 15
He became flesh to become a faithful
high priest as a result of his
suffering. Vs. 17a, 18
He became flesh to make propitiation for
the sins of mankind vs. 17b
Jesus has done all of this for us, so
that we might be reconciled to God. If
that isn’t love I don’t know what is.
Jesus left His home in Heaven to save
us, to appease God’s wrath because of
our sins. Let’s not waste His sacrifice.
Let’s press forward knowing what He has
done for us so that we can help others
also.
- Travis
Robertson preachers for the Lake
Norman Church of Christ in
Huntersville, NC. He may be
contacted through the congregation's
website at http://lakenormancoc.org/
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Isaiah, the Messianic
Prophet
By Jeff Arnette
The book of
Isaiah is a favorite of many Christians
for good reason. Therein, we learn so
much about our God, His character, and
His plans for the future. Isaiah is
often called the Messianic prophet for
good reason. He spoke more about Jesus
and the future kingdom of God than
anyone else in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Isaiah
was a man completely given over to the
idea that Israel’s purpose was to be a
Messianic nation to the world. A nation
through whom one day a great and
wonderful blessing would proceed from
God and be for all peoples. He was
continually dreaming of a day when that
great and wonderful work would begin. In
fact, John 12:41 says that Isaiah “… saw
his glory and spoke of him.” (ESV)
Did
you know that forty-seven of the
sixty-six chapters in Isaiah are
quoted or directly referenced in the New
Testament? He was so instrumental to the
first-century mindset that he is
literally called by name twenty-two
times and is credited with over three
hundred direct quotes in the New
Testament. Isaiah was and always will be
an important book for the faithful child
of God to understand.
His
name means “The Lord Saves” and speaks
to the message he preached. He
repeatedly preached a message that
focused on a faith that trusts in God
enough to let Him save you.
According
to Scripture, it seems that Isaiah had
two sons, one named “Shear-jashub” (Isa.
7:3) and another named
“Maher-shalal-has-baz” (Isa. 8:3). He
was a prophet to the Southern Kingdom of
Judah at a time when the Northern
Kingdom was being invaded and was
eventually destroyed by the Assyrians.
His life and work spanned the reigns of
four different kings: Uzziah (2 Chron.
26:1), Jotham (2 Chron. 27:1), Ahaz (2
Chron. 28:1), and Hezekiah (2 Chron.
29:1). According to the Talmud and
Jewish tradition, which was accepted by
most of the early church fathers, Isaiah
was killed by Manasseh (2 Chron. 33:1,
9) by nailing him to two pieces of wood
and sawing him in half (Heb. 11:37).
The
book of Isaiah, with its 66 chapters,
contain more lessons and important ideas
than we can cover in one short article.
With that in mind, I wanted to point out
just a few of these lessons to you.
First,
God still loves a rebellious and
unrepentant nation (Isa. 1) and intended
to fix the problems that separated them
from Himself. This teaches us all that
God still loves us, despite our failures
and stubbornness. No matter how many
times we fail Him, and that’s a lot, our
great and glorious God still loves us
and wants us to return to Him.
Second,
God is constantly calling His children
back to Himself for
cleansing and renewal (Isa. 1).
Sometimes that means hardships and
difficulty (Isa. 1:25) but the end goal
is always restoration and renewal. Like
a refiner smelts the precious metals to
remove the impurities, God allows
hardships and He allows it for our good
(Heb. 12:10; Rom. 8:28-30).
Isaiah
teaches us about a God who loves so
deeply and longs for fellowship with so
intensely that He will send His own son
to be our Savior (Isa. 53); to atone for
sins and reconcile us to Himself.
If
you haven’t read Isaiah recently, let me
encourage you to give a read. You’ll be
glad you did.
- Jeff Arnette
preaches for the Central Haywood
church of Christ, Clyde, NC.
He may be contacted through the
congregation's website: http://centralhaywoodchurchofchrist.com
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Prince
of Peace
By Bill
Brandstatter
Jesus
was referred to in the Bible as the
Prince of Peace (Isa.9:6). What does the
word “peace” mean biblically? Was Jesus
the person to end all wars and stop all
conflicts? He said He
came not to bring peace, but a sword
(Mt. 10:34). He meant He
didn’t come to bring physical peace, but
He did come to give
man peace between himself and God. When
I look at peace, I also think about the
current situation in the Middle East
between Israel and Palestine. Will there
ever be peace in that area? Let us look
at some things that must be done for
peace in any area to be achieved. These
items could apply to peace in the home,
country, heart, or any place where peace
is desired and needed.
First,
there must be the right disposition. A
person who doesn’t want peace is not
going to agree to anything that will
promote it. Christians should surely
have a disposition toward peace. Paul
admonished, “If it is possible, as much
as depends on you, live peaceably with
all men” (Rom. 12:18). A Christian who
is always concerned about his way will
never feel real peace.
Second,
there must be the right desire.
Obviously, this point is forever
connected to the first. Christians ought
to not only desire peace but to seek it
and pursue it (1 Pet. 3:11). Some
preachers today only want to argue. They
have never met a fight they didn’t like.
The Bible must be defended; however, we
must pursue the avenues of peace
whenever possible.
Third,
there must be the proper design. The
word “design” is used here to mean
purpose. If a person just makes a show
of peace to please someone, that peace
will not last. The kind of peace Jesus
can give is nothing like the peace the
world may offer (John 14:27). Some may
seek certain avenues such as drugs,
alcohol, or other means in order to get
peace, yet those are all the wrong
avenues. Peace must be for the right
reason and from the right motive.
The
peace that God gives passes our
understanding; but, in order to have
this peace that passes understanding
(Phil. 4:7), I must be faithful to God.
I must understand that my purpose in
life is to glorify God (1 Cor. 6:19,
20). God did not put me here just to
enjoy life and to be comfortable. I am
to serve Him (Rom. 12: 1).
In doing this, I can enjoy a peace that
the world does not know, but that all
Christians know and enjoy. (Phi. 4:7)
- Bill
Brandstatter preaches for the Marion
Church of Christ in Marion, IL. He
may be contacted through the
congregation's website: http://marionchurchofchrist.com/
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The Way
to Heaven
By David Bragg
In October 1707
the British Royal Navy's 90-gun warship,
the HMS Association, was leading a
string of 21 ships home from the
Mediterranean Sea. On the night of
October 22, the ships entered the
English Channel. Suddenly the
Association struck rocks off the Isles
of Scilly and, along with three other
ships, sank. Observers reported that the
Association sank in less than four
minutes. All 800 men on board the
Association were lost. Those perishing
on the other vessels brought the death
toll to nearly 2,000 souls making the
incident "the greatest maritime disaster
of the age" (Wikipedia;
six-degrees.com).
Investigation
revealed that the accident was the
result of mistakes in the navigation
tables. Although the Association's
commander, Captain Edmund Loades,
thought he was taking a safe path
through the English Channel, he was in
fact on a collision course with
disaster.
From ancient sea
voyages to modern space navigation, the
danger of miscalculation and human error
is ever-present. No such danger is
attached to the Christian’s journey to
Heaven. Jesus reassured His disciples,
and us, that He knows the way (John
14:1-4). And why not? He came from
there. For Him it is home. He alone is
uniquely qualified to blaze a trail from
earth to Heaven. And His is the only
trail that can be trusted to bring us to
God (John 14:6).
- David Bragg serves as one of the
ministers at the Northwest Church of
Christ in Greensboro, NC and is
co-editor of BulletinGold. He may be
contacted through the congregation's
website: http://www.nwchurchofchrist.com/
or his blog: http://davidbragg.blogspot.com/
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