Nile Street Notes Anna Church of Christ 104 Nile Street, Anna, Illinois 62906 833-5815

Website: www.annachurchofchrist.com

Vol 24. Issue 9 Feb. 28, 2010

Saved to Serve

From a rather obscure person from a generally overlooked section of Scripture comes an important biblical principle. After giving His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus healed a leper (Matt. 8:1-4) and a Centurion’s servant (Matt. 8:5-13). Then in verses 14 and 15 of Matthew chapter 8, we read, “Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his

wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.” From the actions of Peter’s unnamed mother-in-law, we learn this principle: We are saved to serve.

Burton Coffman in his commentary of Matthew says of this incident: “Peter’s mother-in-law attested the completeness of her healing by rising at once to minister to the Lord. No blessing of any kind, physical or spiritual, is intended solely for the benefit of the recipient. People are saved to save others. Those who were healed were healed to serve others!”

This principle is also clearly brought forth in Eph. 2:8-10: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” We were not saved to sit, we were saved to serve. Indeed, let us always remember that we were created anew in Christ so that we may show the love of Christ to others. The world may never see Christ until they see Him through our love and service.

Has God blessed you? Then bestow blessings upon others. Has God helped you? Then heap helpings upon others. Has God delivered you? Has God been good to you? Then deliver goodness to others. Jesus said that the second greatest commandment was closely tied to the first: to love your neighbor as you love yourself (Matt. 22:39). Let’s all

make better efforts in the new year to serve others in the name of Christ.

- Edd Sterchi via Family Matters

SERMON TOPICS

A.M. – “The Patience of God”

(II Peter 3:1-9)

P.M. – “How Should We Serve God?”

(Jn. 4:23-24)

Those For Whom We Are Praying:

Kathleen Ritchey

Rodney & Nikki Lingle

Bill Whitnel

Mitchell Shock – Grandson of Rosemary’s cousin.

Bonnie Mangum

Virginia McIntyre

Michelle Ashby (friend of the Driskills) – Has inflammatory breast cancer that has spread to her ribs, liver, lower spine, & right pelvis.

Carroll McCommons

Ivis Wright

Sheilah Whittington - Cousin passed away Friday.

Quotable Quote: “Life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present to live better in the future.” – William Wordsworth

Wisdom From Proverbs: “The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.” (Prov. 12:12).

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).

NEWS & UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

* Please remember to mute or turn off cell

phones.

* Our Gospel Meeting w/Gary Colley Mar. 18-21. Potluck will be moved to the 3^rd Sunday to coincide with our meeting.

* Men's Business Meeting next Sunday. Time TBA.

* "Girl's Day" at Seven Oaks church of Christ Mar. 13. More info on the bulletin board

* Mark your calendars for Inspiration 2010—the Dexter Youth Rally. Theme: "Absolutely: Nothing More - Nothing Less."

Dates are March 5-6 and Joe Wells will be speaking.

* Please clip “Box Tops For Education” & put them in the box in the Preacher’s office.

* Please continue to drop any Bible questions in the Question & Answer box in the foyer.

* 4^th Sunday Singing at Metropolis at 2:30; 2/28.

* American Family Association (AFA) has suspended its boycott of PepsiCo. Pepsi owns Frito-Lay. Campbell Soup has not

discontinued support for the homosexual agenda. Please continue boycotting them.

* Hearing assistance available upon request.

BIBLE QUESTION/ANSWER:

Last week’s answer: He refers to 8 of his hardships specifically as “perils” (II Cor. 11:26).

New question: Who touched the Ark of the Covenant and was killed for his transgression?

Sentence Sermon: “A man who acts like a child forces his wife to be his mother.”

Birthdays &Anniversaries

Wilma Hartline - 2/28

THE FEAR OF EXCELLENCE IN PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT

          Excellence can be stated in terms of success, achievement, and accomplishment of personal goals (Phil. 1:10-11). One might think everyone wants to succeed, excel, and be an achiever. But it is not so! Many are afraid of excellence, and they avoid it. They manage not to succeed (which is not the same as saying they desire to fail). The one-talent servant in the parable of Jesus (Mt. 25:14-30) is an example. What causes fear of excellence or fear of personal achievement? There are several contributing factors or fears.

* The fear of failure. It is embarrassing to fail at anything one attempts (Luke 14:28). To succeed for a while and then fail is even more embarrassing (Gal. 5:7). Some will develop a Humpty-Dumpty complex: If he had stayed on the ground where he belonged and avoided that risky seat on the wall, Humpty would have stayed out of a mess. So they conclude that it is better to keep what you have rather than risk it by trying to extend it or improve it. That was the flawed philosophy of the one-talent servant (Mt. 25:24f).

* The fear of loneliness. The Ivory Tower Complex. Rising above the crowd is a lonely business. Excellence isolates one from all who are not excellent in the same way.

* The fear of work. Laziness! Not willing to make a required effort. Lazy people watch for golden opportunities to get rich or be successful by luck, without really trying. But they often miss their opportunities because when they come by they all look so much like work.

* The fear of personal commitment. Weakness of the will. Not being willing to promise something for fear one will not be able to fulfill it. The spirit may be willing, but the flesh is known to be weak (Mt. 26:41, Rom. 7:8).

* The fear of responsibility. Stewards are expected to be faithful and must give an account of themselves (1 Cor. 4:1-2). But many want "the buck to stop" before or after it reaches them. Let someone else take credit for success as long as they do not have to take the blame for failure.

* The fear of having to maintain or repeat success. The more things you do right and succeed at, the more people expect of you. It may be better to be seen as average or below. Then others will have diminished expectations of you. After all, there is no shame in being average.

* Fear of the Judge. Distrust of God is a crippling disease in professed Christians. "God is too strict, too demanding, and never satisfied. There is no way anybody can please Him, so why try?" Is that a bad attitude? It is an unjust, untrue, and unfair judgment against God. He requires one to be willing to obey, willing to try – He accepts what a man has and does not require something he does not have (2 Cor. 8:12). What God requires of those who try but fail is that they try again, that they do not give up the faith even when they find themselves unable to meet every opportunity with success. At least in good works it is better to try and fail than never to try at all.

          Of course, the fact is, we must all someday appear before God and account for ourselves to Him (2 cor. 5:10, Rom. 14:10). He will judge us by what we did. But He will also judge us according to real ability and true potential (the parable of the talents fits here, Mt. 25:14-40). Fears that have kept us from trying to follow the Lord and serve Him acceptably will not excuse us or prevent Him from rejecting us. "As for the unprofitable servant (the one whose fear kept him from being productive), take away what he has and cast him into the outer darkness" (Mt. 25:30).

          Fear can be evidence of unbelief, a lack of faith in God. The fearful and unbelieving have no place in heaven (Rev. 21:8).

          – Gerald Cowan via The Encourager

2 Timothy 2:1—The Domain of Grace

While it is certainly true that grace is a thrilling element in the divine scheme of things, it is not true that it is unconditionally dispensed, or that it is obtained merely by believing. Study this issue with us.

Some sincere folks entertain the notion that divine grace is somehow unconditionally diffused into the religious atmosphere, descending upon those whom the Creator has randomly chosen. Others feel that grace is bestowed simply on the basis of trust in the Lord. Misunderstanding Ephesians 2:8-9, they labor under the impression that grace is received by faith alone.

Neither of these views has the support of scripture. While it certainly is true that grace is a thrilling element in the divine scheme of things, it is not true that it is unconditionally dispensed, or that it is obtained merely by believing.

In the context presently considered, Paul writes to Timothy: “My child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Observe the logic. One is saved by grace. But grace is available “in Christ.” Thus, salvation is in Christ—a truth clearly affirmed nine verses later. “Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2:10).

But the question is: how does one get “into Christ”? The answer is: one is baptized into Christ (Romans 6:3,4; Galatians 3:27). It thus becomes irresistibly clear that grace is accessed at the point when one obeys the gospel of Christ in the act of water immersion.

Underline the phrase “grace that is in Christ,” and note: Received at baptism. See Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:27. Also draw an arrow pointing to verse 10 of this chapter.

- Wayne Jackson