Nile Street
Anna Church of Christ
833-5815
Website:
www.annachurchofchrist.com
Vol 22. Issue 16 April 20, 2008
Where Do We Go From Here?
Our 2008 Spring Gospel Meeting is
now over and many of us hate to see a good thing come to an end. In terms of
potential spiritual growth, our meeting was a huge success. What about the attendance of our own members,
though? I suppose it was better than it has been in years past, but not as good
as it should have been. Those of us who were in attendance were blessed to hear
practical, powerful lessons from God’s Word. If you weren’t here by choice, you
really short-changed yourself by missing out on opportunities to grow in the
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:18).
Brother Westley Hazel ably preached
on the important subject, “How To Live The Christian Life.” We heard lessons
concerning how to find contentment, being transformed, what to do after you’ve
“blown it,” and much more. Now, the question is, “Where do we go from here?”
Do we simply go on as though nothing
out of the ordinary happened (we only host an event like this once or twice a
year, after all), or will we make an effort to apply what we learned? The
sermons may be over, but have we carried any of them out yet? Do we plan to?
James commands, “But be ye doers of
the word, and not hearers only...” (James 1:22). We’ve heard the lessons
taught. Now, it’s up to us to put into practice what we’ve learned so that we
can live lives more pleasing in God’s sight. As always, we have the
responsibility to share the Gospel message with the lost (Mark 16:15-16).
Just as Pilate asked, “What shall I do then with Jesus?”
(Matt. 27:22), I would ask, “What will you do with what you know?” Will your knowledge
spur you on to greater service, or will it be forgotten? Give it some serious
thought.
R.W.
JESUS
NEVER QUIT!
Jesus did not quit
meeting with His disciples because Judas was a thief, nor because Peter was
fickle at times. He didn’t quit preaching and living right because some of His
brethren were unforgiving and unkind. He did not quit His post of leadership
because He had in His presence the adulterous woman, a gang of Pharisees, or
narrow-minded demon-worshippers. Jesus did not quit.
Have you quit? What is
the reason for it? Any reason you might name, Jesus could have given the same.
He had every reason to be discouraged. His own disciples were so slow to learn.
His enemies were bent on His destruction. But
He did not quit. He
said: “Know ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49). And
when the end of His earthly life was in sight, Jesus said to His Father, “I
have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4). He did not
quit. He finished His task.
When you come to the
end of life will you say, “I finished the work God has given me to do?” Or,
will you be compelled to say: “I started, but quit!” Will you stand before the
judgment bar of God and admit that you were a quitter? Eternal life is promised
to those who endure to the end (Matt. 10:22). There will be no consolation in
the judgment day to point back to your baptism unless you can also point back
to a life of faithful endurance.
Quit wasn’t in Jesus’
vocabulary; neither should it be in ours. We need to be like Paul who, in his
imitation of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1), said: “Not as though I had already attained,
either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that
for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself
to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are
behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward
the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil
3:12-14)
.- Raymond C. Kelcy
SERMON
TOPICS
A.M. – “How We Can Build A Great
Church!” (I Peter 2:1-5)
P.M. – Third Sunday Singing (5
p.m.)
Those For Whom We Are
Praying:
Kathleen
Ritchey
Loren Eddleman
Josh Furlow
(Friend of Rosemary)
Ruth Karraker
(cancer)
Rosemary Dillow’s
mother
Jerry & Betty
Ward
Rodney & Nikki
Lingle
Paul Frailey
Bill Whitnel
Sheilah
Whittington
Margeurite
Ledgerwood – Her shoulder is improving. Welcome back!
Ann Harvick – Recovering from an upper arm injury.
Gene Ballance (Kittie’s brother) – Battling pneumonia & not doing well. In St. Francis hospital.
Angie Dasher (Aimee’s sister)
Jared Toler – Recovering from broken ankle.
Bob Housman – Wayne and Sandy’s neighbor. Suffered stroke recently and is in V.A. Hospital.
Virginia Housman – (Bob’s wife) Broken leg.
Mellie Karraker – Recovering from bronchitis.
Virginia McIntyre – Husband is at home under Hospice care.
Bryan McAlister – Good report from Dr. He has thyroiditis & it should correct itself.
Our sympathy goes out to Sheilah
Whittington at the passing of her nephew and also to Ann Toler for the death of
her friend, Sue Craig.
UPCOMING
ACTIVITIES/MEETINGS
*Gospel meeting at Vienna church of Christ
w/Adam
Faughn Apr. 27-30
*Gospel Meeting in Arnold, MO with Bro. David
Sain
Apr. 20-23.
*Gospel Meeting at Dongola, IL with Bro.
Philip Jones May 11-14.
*Youth Rally in Sikeston, MO
Apr. 18&19.
*Youth rally in Arnold, MO Apr.
18&19.
*Remember, if you have a Bible
question you’d
like answered or hear preached about, write it
down and put it in the Question and Answer
box in the foyer.
*Our food pantry needs canned
meat and beans.
*If you missed “The Preaching
Pen” in the
Gazette last Thursday (and some of you did
because you let me know about it!), it’s because
your
forgetful preacher didn’t submit it on time.
(late submission plus a fax machine breakdown
to be exact).
Sorry!
BIBLE QUESTION/ANSWER:
Last week’s answer: Legion (Mark
5:9).
New question: What did Samson
use to burn the fields of the Philistines?
Sentence Sermon: Consider this since it’s an election year - We should not try to keep a good man down nor a good-for-nothing man up.
Birthdays
None this week.
God
is a God of...
We can learn a lot about God by doing a search in the
Scriptures for the phrase “God is” and see what follows. Notice, for example:
God
is a God of...
...heaven and earth (Gen.
24:3)
...my salvation (Psa.
18:46)
...glory (Psa. 29:3)
...my life (Psa. 42:8)
...truth (Isa. 65:16)
...justice (Mal. 2:17)
...the living (Matt.
22:32)
...hope (Rom. 15:3)
...patience and comfort (Rom.
15:5)
...love and peace (2 Cor.
13:11)
...all grace (1 Pet.
5:10)
Looking
at all God is in charge and control of, why wouldn’t you want to make Him your
God and obey and serve Him all the days of your life. God is! - Edd Sterchi