Nile Street Notes

Anna Church of Christ

104 Nile Street, Anna, Illinois 62906

833-5815

Vol 23. Issue 18 May 1, 2009

Who Is Your Peninnah?

Peninnah is an obscure character in the Bible. She was married to the same man to which Hannah, the mother of Samuel was married. All we know about Peninnah was that she was Hannah's rival (1 Samuel 1:6). She tormented Hannah because she had children and Hannah had none. In short, she was a "bully," not with her fists, but with her words. She exploiting Hannah's weakness, and tried to make her miserable...and did.

Question: Do you have a Peninnah in your life? A rival? Someone who tries to exploit your weaknesses? Someone who searches out ways to hurt you, and devalue you? Maybe it's a co-worker or even a spouse. I have met many people who have absolutely no self-esteem because they have been so "bullied" by another person that they feel worthless.

Friends, before you begin to believe what your Peninnah has to say about you, and cave to her pressure, you need to remember what the Psalmist said about you.

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, The moon and the stars, which you have ordained, Who is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you visit him? For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and you have crowned him with glory and honor." (Psalm 8:3-5).

Next time you're tempted to believe what your rival has said about you, please remember that your worth is not measured by the people or the events around you. You are of incomprehensible worth to the God who made you! Revel in that truth rather than wallow in Peninnah's lie.

Steve Higginbotham via MercEmail

SERMON TOPICS

A.M. – “One Of Three Great Needs - Faith” (I Cor. 13:8-12)

P.M. – “Justified By Faith” (Rom. 5:1-2)

Those For Whom We Are Praying:

Kathleen Ritchey

Rosemary Dillow's mother and son-in-law

Jerry & Betty Ward

Rodney & Nikki Lingle

Bill Whitnel

Ken & Gilda Snell

Lowell Karraker

Mitchell Shock - Grandson of Rosemary's cousin.

Austin Detering - baby battling pneumonia.

Carlos Wright

Veda Pryor

Wardell Barnhart's sister

Charles Dillow - Freda's brother-in-law

Paul Etherton - Sara Wilkin's father. Cancer in lymph nodes.

Jean Brown - Kirs' s aunt.

Tammy Ury - Friend of the McAlister family. Outlook not good.

Tommy Schultz - Wayne's brother. Difficulty with heart valve.

Paul Rendleman - Lung cancer.

Wisdom From Proverbs: “A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight” (Prov. 10:32).

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

* We’ll have our monthly potluck following our morning service. If you’re visiting, please stay and share

a meal with us.

* Men's Bible class tomorrow night at 7.

* Let’s remember to contact those that we haven’t see in a few weeks.

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

* Food Pantry needs canned fruit.

* Please read the information on the bulletin board concerning Pepsi’s support of the homosexual agenda.

Their products are Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, 7Up, Sierra Mist, and others. Please read the label

to see who produced the soda and avoid purchasing it. Should a Christian financially support such

sin?

Hearing assistance for any service is available upon request.

BIBLE QUESTION/ANSWER:

Last week’s answer: Simon, of Cyrene.

New question: How was Gehazi related to the prophets? How was he punished by a prophet? Why?

Sentence Sermon: No one finds life worth living; he must make it worth living, and live it for God.

Quotable Quote: “Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.” -- Vaclav Havel

Birthdays &Anniversaries

Sheilah & James Whittington - 5/6

Kayla Dillow - 5/9

Narrow-Minded Liberalism

Liberalism, whether social or religious, often boasts of its broad-mindedness and willingness to accept a diversity of people and ideas. During debates in which they extol their “virtues,” liberals often speak of their love for everyone and their acceptance of everyone. However, these same people often criticize others for their “narrow-mindedness.” The sole criterion is that their religious or social counterparts will not accept their philosophies or ideals. I believe that liberalism is actually narrow-minded because liberals are unwilling to accept a true standard, whether it be a legal law in the political realm or the Bible in the religious realm. Though political liberalism and religious liberalism run parallel, let’s examine liberalism as it relates to religion.
Liberalism is narrow-minded because it rejects the authority of God. No realistic debate can occur without an agreement to some standard of authority. Otherwise, discussions will center around what one person thinks versus what another person thinks. If the debate comes down to mere opinion, then how can anyone determine what is right or wrong? Sadly, that’s exactly the goal of liberalism. Their philosophies thrive on the concept of relativism and culturalism. The darkest period of Israelite history occurred during the days of the judges when "...there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6; 21:15). If liberalism has its way, there will be room for every deviant behavior known to man, including homosexuality, because according to them, no one has the right to declare anything to be wrong. How narrow-minded is that?! Why? Because they will not consider the Word of God and righteous behavior as the acceptable conduct of man and for the benefit of society.
Liberalism is narrow-minded because it is hypocritical. On one occasion, Jesus stated, "...That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:20). The primary sin of the Pharisees and other sects of the Jews was hypocrisy. Jesus reviewed their hypocrisy in great detail in Matthew 23 and warned His disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi" (verses 2-6).

Liberalism demands certain behavior and concessions from others toward their position, but turns a deaf ear to the words and pleas of those who oppose it. While labeling some people as unloving and unkind while they reject false teaching and promote the Truth, liberals can be some of the most vicious and unkind people in the world as they practice intolerance and ridicule men and women seeking the Truth of God. Paul wrote, "Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal" (Rom. 2:21)? The narrow-mindedness of liberalism rears its ugly head also through hypocrisy.

Liberalism is narrow-minded because it is slothful. Liberalism is a lazy approach to political and religious life. It’s easy to be liberally minded, but it takes hard work and diligence to read, study, meditate and investigate the Truth.

The Bereans were commended for their open mindedness and their open “Bibles” (Acts 17:11). Liberals feel good about themselves because they talk a good game and claim to be so compassionate when in reality they’re too lazy (or too scared) to investigate the real Truth of God.
We must remember that liberalism, as used in a religious context, is defined as "loosing what God has bound."
1. Liberalism promotes the use of mechanical instruments of music in worship and therefore rejects the commandment of God to sing only (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). This issue is easy to comprehend if one will exercise his mind, remove his prejudices and accept what the New Testament teaches.
2. Liberalism promotes the use of women in public worship despite the clear teaching of the Holy Spirit-inspired apostle Paul against it in1 Timothy 2.
3. Liberalism promotes the hypothesis of theistic evolution, that is the notion that God created the earth and everything in it through evolution, although the Bible clearly teaches that God spoke the world into existence in six literal days.

4. Liberalism promotes the idea that baptism consists of a mere pouring or sprinkling of water over an individual instead of it being an immersion as clearly indicated in scripture. It also rejects the Bible fact that immersion is necessary for the remission of sins (Romans 6:3).

5. Liberalism rejects the oneness of the church and says one is as good as another.
All of these subjects, as well as a host of others, are easily understood through an honest, unbiased study of the teaching of the Bible and common sense. However, the narrow-mindedness of liberalism will not allow the consideration of such possibilities because of prejudice, arrogance, ignorance, hypocrisy and slothfulness. I beg that all of us please remember that Christianity is just as narrow or just as broad as the Lord and His Word.

- R.W.