Nile Street Notes

Anna Church of Christ

104 Nile Street, Anna, Illinois 62906

833-5815

Vol 23. Issue 4 Jan. 25, 2009

How Do I Follow Jesus?

In Mark 8:34, Jesus says, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Discipleship involves a constant desire (present tense)—not a passing interest only. Indeed, following Jesus involves a heavy price. The Lord weighed the cost of discipleship against the consequences of self-centeredness. He balanced the sacrifice of following Him against the rewards of walking in His steps (Mark 8:35-38).

The cost involves three actions: self-denial, cross-bearing, and the continual following of Jesus (Mark 8:34). The verbs “deny” and “take up” indicate completed action, not an ongoing process. One must make up his mind. A prospective follower cannot legitimately pursue the Christian life without self-denial and cross-bearing. These three commands picture sacrifice, selflessness, and service. A cross represented punishment and disgrace (Galatians 3:13), but it represents far more since Jesus “became a curse for us.” His cross showed the shame and punishment for sin, but not His own (Hebrews 4:15). It displayed the love of God (Romans 5:8). It demonstrated selfless, sacrificial love, as Jesus served the needs of fallen man by giving his life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).

Let’s consider three actions necessary in order to follow Jesus: 1) Deny yourself – We must be willing to say “no” to our strongest sinful cravings. We must make our absolute best effort to live for Christ daily. Earthly wants and desires must take a “back seat” to serving God. 2) Take up your cross – Luke adds “daily” (Luke 9:23). Don’t just take it up once or once in a while, but daily. The cross is the pain of denying self. The cross is a symbol of the duty we must perform in the service of God, even at the cost of an excruciating death (Rev. 2:10). 3) Follow Jesus – To follow Christ is to accept Him as our Master, to believe and teach His doctrines, to defend His cause, and obey His commands.

If we choose to “save our life” (our present earthly lifestyle) instead of losing it in favor of a life for Christ, then we truly are fools and will spend eternity in Hell. Give up your life through self-denial, cross-bearing, and follow Jesus wherever He goes. Never forget that eternity lasts forever.

- R.W.

SERMON TOPICS

A.M. – “Have You Been ‘Drawn’ To God?” (John 6:41-45)

P.M. – "Jesus Christ – A Warrior?" (Rev. 19:11-13)

Those For Whom We Are Praying:

Kathleen Ritchey

Loren Eddleman

Rosemary Dillow’s mother & Son–in-law

Jerry & Betty Ward

Rodney & Nikki Lingle

Bill Whitnel

Ken and Gilda Snell – Ken is having trouble with his knees.

Lowell Karraker

Mitchell Shock – Grandson of Rosemary’s cousin.

Bonnie Mangum

Austin Detering – Baby battling a number of birth defects.

Carlos Wright

Veda Pryor

Holly Miller (Wetaug congregation) - Her mother is in Lourdes Hospital and had a stroke last week. Not doing well.

Veda Pryor – In a nursing home in Dexter, MO. Her address and phone number is on the bulletin board.

Virginia McIntyre – Suffering from back pain.

Wisdom From Proverbs: “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise” (Prov. 10:19).

Quotable Quote: “If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older.” - Abraham Sutzkever

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES/ANNOUNCEMENTS

*THANKS to all that gave their change—We raised $225 for Schults-Lewis.

* Phone Calls and Letters are needed for those in hospitals and who are shut-in.

* Also, let us remember to contact those that we have not see in a few weeks.

* Communion sign-up list is on the bulletin board. Please sign up for a month in 2009 to prepare it if

you’re able.

* We have invitation letters to our services to mail out. If you’d like to be a part of this, see R.W.

* Feel free to drop any Bible questions in the Question & Answer box in the foyer.

* Food Pantry needs canned fruit. See Ryan if you have any questions.

* The Fourth Sunday Singing will be held at Dongola this afternoon at 2:30. A light meal willfollow.

Hearing assistance for any service is available upon request.

BIBLE QUESTION/ANSWER:

Last week’s answer: Nebuchadnezzar. I Chron. 6:15.

New question: Which king built the first temple?

Sentence Sermon: “Peace is not the absence of trouble-peace is the presence of God.”

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Bob and Sheri McCann - 1/28

Bob and Kris McAlister - 1/29

Why is God Tempting Me?

How many of us have heard someone utter this expression? Normally, the one who poses such a question has a genuine concern for its answer, but also demonstrates an immature faith. How do we help those who consistently search for the answer of this question? Let’s begin with Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

From this passage, we can see that God is not the author of the temptation (James 1:13), but on the contrary, God seeks to help us avoid temptation (Matthew 6:13). However, God has given us free will and as a result, some choices that we make turn out to be unwise decisions.

Who is responsible for temptations? The answer contains two distinct parts. Satan is the author of all temptation (Genesis 3, Job 1, 1 Peter 5:8), but due to our ability to make our own decisions, Satan tempts when we provide the opportunity (James 1:14). So, the answer of responsibility involves Satan and mankind. We should always remember that God is just and only allows our faith to be tested to the degree that we can stand such a test.

Why me? Notice the selfishness of this question. Paul says “common to man.” In Paul’s sense, common means ordinary, usual to man. In other words, the temptations that we face will be situations that others have dealt with and overcame. Today’s temptations of lust, greed, envy, pride…etc.. are the same temptations that tested the faith of many Old Testament figures. Noah, David, Jonah, Ruth, Eil, Samuel, Esther and many others offer lessons on temptations. Many will say that Christ is our example on how to overcome (Luke 22:28, Hebrews 4:15). That is true; He is. Countless others will say that overcoming was a little easier for God’s son than it is for me. What should I do?

Lastly, we must realize that God always “knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:” 2 Peter 2:9

With the temptation, God provides a way to escape the temptation. It is important to repeat, Satan is the author of the temptation, but God is the author of the way to overcome the temptation. To escape means to remove ourselves from the situation that gave opportunity to the temptation. Some people ask over and over, “Why me?” but refuse to leave the situation that continues to feed the temptation. Maybe the question should be, “Why not me?” That may sound harsh, but it is the reality that many choose for themselves (Luke 6:46).

- Ryan Thornsberry