The Bible Bowl Team Thanks You

Potter Children’s Home & Family Ministries Commodities Outreach

If you would like to help the families at Potter Children’s Home, they are having Commodity Outreach until April 27th. The needed pantry items are, Corn Flakes, Milk Chocolate Chips, Lemonade Mix, Disinfecting Wipes, Washable Markers. The Outreach list and a collection tote will be available in the foyer.

Healing Hands International Donation Items

Greet One Another

There may be certain parts of Scripture that we think only applied to first-century Christians and we just skip over them.  But, perhaps we should take a closer look.  Consider for a moment the numerous times that Christians were directed to “Greet one another.”  That still applies today.

First, think about the word, “Greet.”  The Greek word literally means, “to draw to oneself.”  It is defined as, “to engage in hospitable recognition of another through word or gesture, welcome, express good wishes, treat with affection.”  This generally involved embracing or kissing, and the term is used repeatedly in the epistles as an imperative verb, indicating a command of God that is not optional.  Do you greet?

Second, think about the object of the action, “Greet one another.”  The reflexive, reciprocal pronoun “one another” involves all brethren doing this to all other brethren (Rom. 16:16; 2 Cor. 13:12).  Just as we are to love one another, encourage one another and serve one another (mutual responsibilities of every Christian for every other Christian), we are to greet one another.  Paul says, “Greet all the brethren” (1 Thess. 5:26), and John says, “Greet the friends by name” (3 John 14).  Do you greet your brethren regularly?

Third, think about the method, “Greet one another with a holy kiss.”  The Lord was not demanding a kiss in all generations and all cultures, but He was taking a common practice of that day and regulating it among the Christians.  First-century greetings often included the kiss of friendship, not a passionate kiss.  In modern culture, it usually is a handshake or a friendly hug—some kind of gesture that (remember the literal definition) would draw another to oneself in a welcoming, friendly way.

Fourth, think about the regulation of the greeting, “Greet one another with a HOLY kiss.”  The emphasis in the text is on the word “holy.”  The Lord took the common greeting of the day and ensured that it was done out of Christian affection.  It is to be “holy,” meaning “set apart, sincere, unhypocritical.”  You need to mean it when you greet your brethren and you need to keep it Christ-like.  Peter said, “Greet one another with a kiss of love” (1 Pet. 5:14).  Agape love is to color every action of a Christian.

Fifth, consider that our holy greetings are to be extended beyond our brethren.  Jesus said, “If you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?” (Matt. 5:47).  When you are at a church service, spend time greeting your brethren warmly, but make it a priority to seek out guests and give them a genuine, friendly Christian welcome.  Our guests should feel like they are wanted in our family. 

David Sproule

Palm Beach Lakes church of Christ, Palm Beach Gardens, FL

The Empty Pew

Preachers have a distinctive view of the congregation as he stands before them and delivers the message from God’s word. As he teaches the lesson, he subconsciously assesses the audience, and immediately knows if the attendance for that day is good or is lacking. As human nature would have it, members have the habit of sitting in the same place for each service they attend. If the congregation is small, the preacher has probably memorized each member’s or family’s designated pew. So, when those pews are empty, especially for several services, it is a matter of concern for the following reasons:

• Is someone sick? Do they need prayer, comfort, or ministered to? “And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.” (James 5:15a)
• Are they suffering from loss or tragedy? Do they need God’s comfort that can be given through us? (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
• Are they at odds with a fellow member? Jesus taught us conflict resolution, even if it needs mediation. (Matthew 18:15-20)
• Is the new convert struggling with their commitment to God? Mature Christians should encourage them. (Romans 15:1)
• Have they been offended by truthful presentation of the scriptures which convict the world of sin? (John 16:8)
• Have they willfully missed worship while pursuing pleasure? This is idolatry, is sinful and requires repentance. (Hebrews 10:24-27)
• Have they become distracted by life? Work and family obligations can lead us on the gradual road to unfaithfulness. (Colossians 3:1-2)

These are just a few of the things that can concern the preacher (or elder) as they observe the empty pew.

Jay Launius – 2024
Maud Church of Christ
Maud, Texas

Potter Children's Home

Thank you to the family here at Woodsfield we were able to send a total of $4,203.00 for the Day of Prayer & Giving for the Children.

Who Will You Serve?

In 1979, Bob Dylan broke into a new era in his recording history and released a song, “Gotta Serve Somebody.”  The gist of the song is a biblical concept—all of us are in servitude to someone in life, no matter how great or powerful we are.  The repeated phrase throughout the song, “it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord” was the reminder of the only two masters one can serve.  At first, the song was criticized.  John Lennon came out with a song of his own ridiculing Dylan’s, entitled “Serve Yourself.”  Eventually, however, the song caught on and became a hit; now it remains one of his best-known songs.

In many ways, the song was personal for Bob Dylan.  During this same period, Dylan surrendered his own life in service to Jesus.  The song is a window into the mind and heart of Dylan, a newly converted Christian, who was wrestling with his own fame, notoriety and eternity.  It took a lot for Dylan, who already possessed a successful musical career of over a decade, to change directions and write this song.  He would go on to release 3 albums of gospel music in the late 70s/early 80s.

We’ll explore more on this topic of service, but for the sake of this bulletin article I’d like to pose one question:

Would you have had the guts to write this song?

It’s easy to be a dedicated Christian in a pew or in the company of fellow believers, but it’s another thing entirely to take that message out to the street and proclaim it to an audience that is anything but.  Lennon’s response and mockery of the song is a perfect example of the reaction many in the world have to the message of the gospel.  I hope that I would be so bold.  I hope you would be too.

                                                                                                                        Scott McFarland

Becoming the Man (or Woman) God Wants You to Be

One of the greatest gifts of the Christian life is the promise of growth.  God lays out an opportunity in Scripture not just for our ultimate salvation, but our ongoing sanctification (a fancy word for God making us holy and maturing us).  While most of us are aware of our salvation and the promise of it, I’m not as sure we take full advantage of the process of sanctification.  There are probably reasons for this, the first being that it is not always pleasant.  The process of getting better at anything in life often entails work and being uncomfortable.  Not many people enjoy being uncomfortable, yet that is one of the ways in which God grows us.  Another reason I can think of is the need for a lot of humility.  Being able to grow involves admission of weakness—our ignorance and our need for help.  This is hard for us; we don’t like being weak!  Yet, if we look at examples of spiritual growth in the Bible, these people needed to admit their faults and weaknesses before God could use them.

We'll look at how the process of sanctification through the lens of one of Scripture’s greatest examples: Paul.  We’ll see how Paul’s allowing God to work through him, his admission of weakness and need for God, and his ongoing sanctification gave him incredible opportunities.

I hope we as Christians can regain an understanding that God is not just concerned with what happens at the end of your life, but what happens throughout it.  We cannot become the people God wants us to be without submission to His process of sanctification.  Salvation and sanctification are not just future opportunities; they are right now.

                                                                                                                        Scott McFarland

No One Came to Our Party

After a few days of hard work, all the preparations had been made and it was time for the party. The tables were ready, filled with stacks of paper plates, plastic flatware, and cups. Cold drinks were iced and ready while the grill belched out smoke with the smell of cooking steaks. There was sliced fresh watermelon, homemade ice cream and apple pie. Hanging decorations moved gently in the breeze while tunes played from the Bluetooth speaker. It was time for the party!

As the time for the gathering came and went none of the invited guest arrived. Perhaps the traffic was bad or other distractions were holding up the party goers. But as an hour passed, it soon became evident that no one was coming. The time, effort, and expense that had gone into getting ready for the party was all for nothing. The host felt disappointed and embarrassed. “No one came to our party.”

Jesus told two similar stories, one about a wedding, the other about a great supper. (Matt. 22:2-14; Luke 14:16-24) Both had been prepared but some guests made excuses as to why they could not come while others “made light of it and went their ways…” (Matt. 22:5).

Each week, the preparation for worship to God has been made for all of us. We may believe that our lack of attendance doesn’t affect anyone but ourselves. However, by my absence I may be discouraging those who have worked diligently in preparation for me to experience the blessing of worship. Just as in our previous example, the B  ible class teacher may sit in an empty classroom and say, “No one has come.” Let us all give appreciative consideration to those that work so hard to make it possible for us to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.

Jay Launius – 2024
Maud church of Christ
Maud, Texas

Legacy

I was looking at a family gravestone the other day in preparation for a class.  I was trying to look at the dates on the stone so I could remember when the loved one had been born, married to their spouse, and died.  Later, after I gathered the proper dates, I was reminded of what someone once shared with me about gravestones.  You’ve probably heard about “the dash” before.  The idea is that while we often focus so much on the dates on a headstone, it’s the dash in between those dates of birth and death that ultimately counted.  The dash was where life was lived, other people were impacted, and what people remember the deceased for was determined. 

Most people will not remember your birthdate or the anniversary of your death, but they most certainly will remember the kind of person you were—how you made them feel, what you said or did around them, what kind of character you possessed.  These are the things that count, more so than the dates on a stone.  This morning, we’re talking about “Legacy”—what kind of person do you want to be and what kind of memory do you want to leave.  Remember, it’s not about the dates.  It’s about the dash.                                                                                                                                                               

Scott McFarland