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Nile
Street Notes
Anna Church of
Christ 104 Nile Street,
Anna, Illinois 62906 833-5815 |
Website: www.annachurchofchrist.com
Vol 24. Issue
24 June
13, 2010
Toe-Testers
Several years ago, I baptized a young man who played on a local
High School football team. As I walked into the water, I could feel
through my rubber wader that the water was really cold! I apologized to
the young man and said that I was sorry to tell him that the water heater had
apparently stopped functioning and that the water was cold. In a macho
sort of way, he said, “No problem, that doesn’t matter to me.” Then he
put his first foot in the water. To say it took his breath would be an
understatement. He stood there a long time before he ever attempted to
put his second foot in, and for about the next 10 minutes, he inched his way
into the baptistery. (So much for macho!)
I share that story because I think it illustrates how some people try to serve
God. Instead of just giving themselves fully to him, they try to “inch”
their way into following him. Friends, God is not looking for “toe
testers” to test the waters of discipleship, he’s looking for “cannonballers” who are wholly sold out to Christianity.
Friends, which are you more like? Are you testing the waters, or have you
jumped in? Give it some thought.
Steve Higginbotham
via MercEmail
SERMON TOPICS
A.M. – “How To Be Great In the
Kingdom” (Mt. 20:20-28)
P.M. – “How Not To Be Great In the
Kingdom” (Mt. 20:20-28)
Those For
Whom We Are Praying:
Kathleen Ritchey
Jerry Ward
Bonnie Mangum
Kittie Yates’ sister, Peggy – has
Parkinson’s Disease.
Dawn Bradley –
recovering from surgery on her septum.
Charles Dillow – Cancer has returned.
Virginia McIntyre
Jerry Toler –
battling prostate cancer.
Haley Inman –
Ann’s granddaughter. Remember Ann in your prayers as well.
Wardell’s brother, Carroll, is undergoing
treatment for prostate cancer.
Nellie
Childers - Mellie's sister.
Ron Pind of Anna, friend of Cliff
Thomas, is suffering from cancer.
Rejoice!
Ethan Smith was baptized into Christ last Wednesday night!
Quotable Quote: “The reason so many people become lost in
thought is because it’s unfamiliar territory.” – Paul Fix
Wisdom From Proverbs: “In
the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof
there is no death.” (Prov.
12:28).
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.
* Change collection cans
for Schults-Lewis Children’s Home are on the shelf in
the back of the auditorium.
* Please
continue to drop any Bible questions in the Question & Answer box in the
foyer.
* Campbell Soup has not
discontinued support for the homosexual agenda. Please continue boycotting
them.
* Today is Potluck
Sunday followed by our quarterly men’s business meeting.
* Gospel Meeting at the Mounds church of Christ
June 13-16 w/Robert Holt.
* The new teaching assignment lists are in the foyer.
* Couples are asked to bring a wedding photo and
a baby photo of their children for the bulletin
board. Please give to Sherry Ward.
* New photos will be taken for the picture board
next week.
* Hearing assistance available
upon request.
BIBLE QUESTION/ANSWER:
Last week’s
answer: Emeroda are hemorrhoids (Dt. 28:27; I Sam. 5 & 6).
New question: Who stole Job’s camels & slew some
of his servants?
Sentence Sermon: “When Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future.”
Birthdays &Anniversaries
Tony & Sherry Ward - 6/16
Larry & Donna Bell - 6/17
LET’S STAY FOCUSED
Some
things we do in life do not require special attention on our part. We can
successfully complete some tasks while we have the radio blaring and are
talking on the telephone at the same time. Other tasks, however, require us to
be completely focused on what we are doing. One that drives a school bus had
better keep his attention on the task at hand. The same goes for a doctor that
is performing open-heart surgery or a restaurant worker that is pouring hot
grease. In so many endeavors in life, for one to lose his focus can cause
unpleasant results, even real disaster.
As Christians we, too, need to stay focused. We
need to always keep in mind who we are, what our purpose in life is, and where
we are headed. If we fail to keep our focus we will soon get off course and
into great spiritual danger. On what should the children of God stay focused?
Though there may be many correct responses to that question, we want to point
out three obvious answers.
For one thing, God’s children must stay focused
on Jesus. After all, He is the One Whom we are following! Jesus said, “My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John
10:27). If we are to “follow his steps” (I Peter 2:22), then we need to pay
attention to where His steps lead us. Yes, it is “Follow the Leader,” but it is
not a game. On that occasion when Peter walked on the water toward Jesus, in
the beginning, he walked with no problem. Every indication is that at first he
was focused on Jesus and not the strong wind. However, when Peter “saw the wind
boisterous” his attention stayed on the potential danger and he was afraid
(Matt. 14:29,30). Surely a key lesson from Peter’s stroll is for us to keep our
eyes focused on the Lord and not the storms of life.
All of us are involved in so many
activities in life. Some of them are activities at school, at work, or at home.
Some of them may be personal acts of kindness or actually part of the work of the
church. First century saints that were running “the Christian race” were
exhorted to look “unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb.
12:1,2).
May we ever be like the apostle Paul, who said of
himself, “For to me to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21). Let
us all strive to do our best to not lose sight of the fact that Jesus needs to
be the center of our focus. He died that we might live through Him. That ought
to be on our minds each day.
Second, followers of Jesus must stay focused on
the word of God. Today there is a push to get away from “too much Bible.”
We expect such from those outside of Christ. It is disheartening, though, to
see such an attitude among brethren. Some 21st-century saints spend little
private time studying God’s word and at the same time they want Bible classes
turned into a social hour, shorter sermons, and bulletins that are filled with
cute stories and social activities instead of Bible-related materials.
Brethren, we have got to keep our
attention on the word of the living God! It is God’s word that “is able to
save” our souls (James 1:21). Nothing else can do that. It is God’s word that
serves as a lamp for our feet and a light for our path (Psalm 119:105). Nothing
else can do that. It is God’s word that can build us up and give us an
inheritance among the sanctified (Acts 20:32). Nothing else can do that. Let us
be like babies and “desire the sincere milk of the word that ye (we) may grow
thereby” (I Peter 2:2).
Keep this thought in mind: it is
impossible to stay properly focused on Jesus without staying focused on His
teaching. When some of Jesus’ disciples left Him to walk no more with Him,
Jesus turned to the apostles and asked, “Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter
answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (John
6:67,68). To turn away from Jesus was to turn away from the source of the words
of life! Remember, Jesus said, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do
not the things which I say” (Luke 6:46)? Staying with Christ means
staying with His word. And, keeping focused on Jesus includes staying focused
on His word.
Finally, followers of Jesus must stay focused on
heaven. Going to heaven when our earthly life is over — that is what it is
all about! Going to heaven must be the goal that pushes us, the reward that
drives us, the destination on which our attention is focused. By faith Abraham “looked
for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb.
11:10). He, along with Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob desired “a
better country, that is, an heavenly” (Heb. 11:16). You and I must
share that same longing.
Hear the truth of II Timothy 2:4: “No
man that warreth entangleth
himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen
him to be a soldier.” As soldiers of the Christ, we must not allow
ourselves to become entangled or bogged down with the affairs of this earthly
life. We must keep our focus on heaven!
Jesus taught His disciples, “But
lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:20,21). May
our desires ever be set on things above, where Jesus sits at the right hand of
God (Col. 3:1,2). Satan would love to get us so distracted that we would not
focus on that which we need to.
May the Lord help us all to stay focused on Jesus,
His word, and heaven as our final dwelling place.
Roger D. Campbell