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Nile
Street Notes
Anna Church of
Christ 104 Nile Street,
Anna, Illinois 62906 833-5815 |
Website: www.annachurchofchrist.com
Vol 23. Issue
42 Oct.
18, 2009
“You’ll have a hard time
topping him!” This was the comment made by a well-intentioned Christian lady to
the next speaker on the lectureship. He responded to this sister, “I don’t want
to top him. We’re on the same side.” Though I’m sure
this sweet Christian lady meant nothing negative, it reminds me of the old
saying, “There is no competition among lighthouses.” Of that sentiment we would
do well to remind ourselves on a regular basis.
There
seems to be an infatuation with some members of the church that they “get
credit” for their work. Some preachers have even warned, “If you use my
material, be sure to give me credit.” In the secular world this is surely
understandable, but in the Lord’s church the obsession with getting credit
seems a bit out of place. My goal as a Gospel preacher is not about “getting
credit.” My “credit” is not on this earth. My goal is to save souls, and if I
produce something that will help others more effectively accomplish this goal,
then please use it.
The
Pharisees were very concerned with getting credit and with being seen of men.
When they gave alms, they wanted credit among men. When they prayed, they
wanted credit among men. But the Lord said, “Verily I say unto you, They
have their reward” (Matt. 5:2). May our righteousness exceed that of the
Pharisees!
One is also reminded of Herod
in Acts 12 who evidently had given a very eloquent verbal presentation. Though
the praise of the people was certainly excessive, Herod enjoyed it nonetheless.
The text however says that “an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did
not give glory to God.” Without a doubt this is where all credit should be
directed.
Though we may have
been blessed with great ability, it must be remembered that it was given to us
by God. In the business world,
employees who work for the same company all labor together to produce a product
that will benefit the business. And ultimately, the credit goes to the company,
not the individual. In fact, under the U.S. copyright law’s work-made-for-hire
doctrine, the owner of an intellectual creation is not the employee who
originated the idea, but rather the company for whom he works.
In the
Lord’s church, we all work for the same “company” if you will. Though the
Lord’s church is not a company, it’s a team of people all working together to
accomplish the same goal — save souls and to give God the glory. Let’s let the
credit remain with the owner of the church.
This
“credit seeking” attitude is particularly unattractive when seen amongst
faithful brotherhood works. Due to the difficulty in raising money, sometimes
evangelistic works of the church put a premium on getting credit. While it’s
certainly not wrong to point to the effectiveness of a particular effort, we
need to be careful not to let pride enter the picture, nor to begrudge another
good work in any way. There is no competition among lighthouses. We’re all on
the same side.
- Don Blackwell
SERMON TOPICS
A.M. – “Will God Hear My
Prayer?” - # 1
(I Jn. 5:14-15)
P.M. – 3rd Sunday Song Service
Those For
Whom We Are Praying:
Kathleen Ritchey
Rodney & Nikki Lingle
Bill Whitnel
Mitchell Shock – Grandson of
Rosemary’s cousin.
Paul Etherton - Sara Wilkins' father. Cancer in lymph nodes.
Jean Brown –
Kris’s aunt.
Diana Schultz
- Recovering from injuries sustained in a car crash.
Tommy Schultz
– Heart trouble.
Wes Boie – Terminal cancer.
Bonnie Mangum
Wisdom From Proverbs: “There
is that scattereth, and yet increaseth;
and there is that withholdeth more than is
meet, but it tendeth to poverty” (Prov. 11:24).
Quotable Quote: “Problems are only opportunities with thorns
on them.” –Hugh Miller
Welcome! If you're visiting with us, we extend you a
special welcome and invite you to come back at every opportunity. If our
worship seems unusual to you, please let us know what you find different. We
endeavor to worship "in Spirit and in truth" (Jn. 4:24) and do only
what scripture authorizes (Col. 3:17, Deut. 4:2; Rev. 22:18-19).
UPCOMING
ACTIVITIES/MEETINGS
* Thanks to all
who helped with our fall cleanup day.
* Devotional
& hayride Oct. 30 at R.W. & Renee’s at 6 p.m.
* Ladies Day
Nov. 7 at West End Blvd. church of Christ in Cape Girardeau. Areva Chesser & JennyNewman speaking. Please
RSVP soon.
* Tonight is
the 3rd Sunday. We’ll gather in the Fellowship Hall after our 5 p.m.
singing.
* There is a
new class for ladies on Sunday morning that many are finding uplifting. See
Donna or Sandy for details.
* Our Gospel Mtg. Nov. 1-4 w/Jeremiah Tatum.
* “Friends & Family Day" Oct. 18 at
Vienna. Cookout
to follow a.m. service.
* Please
continue to drop any Bible questions in the Question & Answer box in the
foyer.
* Please
continue boycotting Pepsi & Frito-Lay products as they support the
homosexual agenda.
BIBLE QUESTION/ANSWER:
Last week’s
answer: Ships of fir, masts of cedar, and oars of oak (Ezek. 27:5-6).
New question: Which four woods used for
booths at the Feast of Tabernacles?
Sentence Sermon: “No one ever
choked to death swallowing their own pride.”
Birthdays &Anniversaries
Marguerite Ledgerwood – 10/23
TO WHAT EXTENT SHOULD WE
“HAVE NO FELLOWSHIP” WITH ERRING CHRISTIANS?
Some have carried it to the extreme of
having no contact or association, not even smiling or speaking to a person
assumed to be out of fellowship with the Lord and his church – some go so far
as to refuse assistance to such people, no matter what their need. They fall
just short of pretending the person does not exist or is actually not present –
this is a completely unchristian attitude and action.
Withdrawing
oneself or denying fellowship with another person must not be taken to mean
“putting him out of the church.” We do not add people to the church. Only the
Lord can do that (Acts 2:41, 47). We do not remove people from the church. Only
the Lord can do that, and even He will not do it until the day of judgment (Mt.
13:40-41). All we can do is “make our own calling and election sure” (2 Peter
1:10), and clarify to others what their relationship to God and the church
actually is, according to the scripture. We cannot acknowledge, approve, and
accept into fellowship those who continue in religious error. We cannot exclude
from fellowship those who obey the gospel, those who try – even though
imperfectly, as is the case with all of us – to live within the grace and faith
of the Lord.
What
about the person who is guilty of a sin which incurs the loss of fellowship
with other Christians? Those who love him must try to restore him (Gal. 6:1-2
and 5:13-16). Accepting him without change because one “loves” him is not
really love for the person, and shows a lack of love for the Lord and His word.
The guilty person must be made aware of his true condition and what he has lost
by it, so that he will be led to repent (James 5:16-20). He is not to treated
as an enemy, but admonished as an erring brother in
the Lord (2 Thess. 3:15). It is impossible to teach, admonish, rebuke, warn,
and exhort a person if you will not speak to him or have contact with him.
No
wonder the treatment sinners receive from those who consider themselves to be
“faithful Christians” looks like a “lack of love” from the sinner’s point of
view. It has little of the love of Christ in it, the love that is willing to
suffer, to actively seek the lost, and to forgive the hurts one has received
from the sinner when the sinner repents and asks forgiveness (John 13:34-35,
Mt. 20:28, Luke 19:10, and Luke 23:34). One who has not learned how to love
himself and others as Christ taught and demonstrated is in no position to
declare fellowship or the lack of it. He himself is not in fellowship with
Christ unless he loves as Christ loves.
So,
how does the faithful Christian and the faithful church “have no fellowship”
with the one who has been “disfellowshipped”? Contact
and association must not be allowed to indicate acceptance and approval of the
person as he is. If fellowship is assumed because of eating, working, or
playing with the person, it must be explicitly denied. Even maintaining family
ties with the person cannot be assumed to indicate spiritual fellowship. It may
be necessary to say it so there can be no misunderstanding: “This does not
change the fact that I consider you to be unfaithful to Christ, spiritually
dead in your sins, and without hope of salvation until you repent.”
You
will probably be asked something like this: “Who do you think you are? God?”
Your answer can be, “No, of course I am not God. But I do take my directions
from God, and I will not go against Him or His word. He says you are not
spiritually acceptable, and I have to act in accordance with His judgment. So,
if I want to be accepted by God I have to reject you spiritually until He
accepts you. He loves you and wants to be able to accept you, but He cannot
love you enough to accept you as you are. The fact that I love you and will do
whatever I can to help you does not mean I accept you in fellowship as you are.
You are spiritually dead and only God can make you alive. When He does, I will
rejoice with Him and with you.”
– Gerald Cowan via The Encourager