Nile Street
Anna Church of Christ
833-5815
Website:
www.annachurchofchrist.com
A FEARLESS MORAL AND SPIRITUAL INVENTORY
1 Corinthians
One of life’s little quirks is that we seem better
equipped to judge others than to judge our own selves (Mt. 7:1-5). We do not
want to judge ourselves or be judged by others. So we try unsuccessfully to
convert others when we are not converted ourselves.
It is sometimes humbling and humiliating to see
ourselves as others see us. Little Billy lost his temper and behaved badly. His
mother was indignant – she punished him and put him to bed. She told him to
pray that the Lord would help him correct his bad temper. Listening at the door
of his room to see if he obeyed, she was a bit shaken by what she heard. Billy
prayed, “Dear God, please take away my bad temper. And while you’re at it,
maybe you can take away Mommy’s bad temper too.”
It may be impossible to correct others. They must
want to be corrected, willing to be corrected. One’s behavior can be changed
without converting him, but he will revert to whatever is natural for him or
desired by him when the behavior-changing pressures are removed. It is possible
to correct yourself, let yourself be corrected, persuaded to change and helped
to make changes. But only if you want it, only if you are willing. It may be impossible for
you to persuade others to obey the gospel of Christ, but you can obey it
yourself, whether anybody else does or not – you will, if you want to.
How important is a
fearless searching of one’s own soul? Such a moral and spiritual inventory (2
Cor. 13:5) will verify one’s faith. It will clarify one’s strengths while
exposing weaknesses, errors, failures, and areas needing improvement and
growth. It will reveal whether you have any real hope of salvation (1 Peter
1:3-9). If you looked closely at yourself, your life, your relationship to God
and your hope of heaven what would you find. If you found you need to make some
changes, to obey the Lord in order to make your calling and election sure
(2 Peter 1:10), would you do it?
- Gerald Cowan, Dongola, IL via The Encourager
Instant
Christianity
Rod
Rutherford
We
live in an age of speed. We try to cram as many activities into a day as
possible. With many, the definition of a successful person is one who is always
busy, always on the run, and has more demands made on his time than he can
possibly satisfy. Because of this fast pace of life, a host of consumer
services and products have been marketed. “Fast food” restaurants, which
specialize in ready made food so the traveler can get on his way quickly have
become the vogue. For the hurried, harried housewife, there is a great variety
of quick foods such as TV dinners, “pop in the oven” pizzas, instant potatoes,
instant pudding, instant coffee, etc. Everything is available to us instantly.
We have come to expect and demand such services and products.
In other aspects of our lives, we also seek instant
gratification. Many young couples unrealistically expect to begin married life
in a modern home with all the labor-saving gadgets it took their parents 20
years to accumulate. “Shortcuts” up the career ladder are sought so that one
can quickly be promoted into the higher paying brackets without having to toil
for years to work oneself into such positions.
Sadly, many view Christianity in the same way as
they view their consumer products or career aspirations. They want instant
results and so they attempt to bypass the daily struggle over a long period of
time to achieve spiritual maturity. Prayer “seminars,” fasting, and emotion
filled, clapping, stamping “workshops” are offered to guarantee instant
“spirituality.” The years of diligent study of God’s Word, of prayer and daily
cross-bearing which are essential for a sound, solid, well-balanced spiritual
maturity are set aside in the vain hope to achieve this instant spirituality.
Those who think they have become mature by such shallow means soon find that
when the emotions subside, when the “feeling” is gone, and trials confront
them, they do not have the spiritual resources necessary to overcome.
There is a great desire in our brotherhood today to
achieve instant church growth by the same type of approach. Personal work
methods that move and manipulate by psychological pressure and cultic
techniques are applied. A whole host of social and recreational activities are
offered to draw the unthinking masses. There will always be those who come
seeking the loaves and the fishes as in Jesus’ day (John 6:26,27). When the
loaves and fishes run out, they are soon gone on to some other organization
which will supply their carnal cravings.
The Jerusalem church is often cited by advocates of
instant church growth as proof that their approach works. What they do not stop
to consider is that the response of 3,000 souls on Pentecost (Acts 2) was the
natural fruit of a harvest long cultivated by prophets of old who foretold the
coming of the Messiah, by widespread knowledge of the Scriptures among the
Jews, by the ministry of John, the Harbinger of the Christ, whose preparatory
work shook Judaism to its foundation; and by the personal ministry of our Lord
Himself. Jesus’ three years of patient preaching, marvelous miracles, and
training of the Twelve bore fruit on Pentecost Day. There was already a great
body of believers in Jesus in Israel as evidenced by the fact that in one of
His recorded post-resurrection appearances, “He was seen of above 500 brethren
at once” (I Cor. 15:6). The conversion of the multitude on Pentecost and the
continuing conversion of great numbers in Jerusalem was not instant church
growth, but the culmination of much preparation and planting over a long period
of time.
The only way to build a strong mature faith that
will meet the trials of life and carry one safely through to the Celestial
Shore is by daily cross-bearing, diligent study, persistent prayer, much
meditation, and increased strength as a result of surmounting spiritual obstacles
(James 1:2-4). The only way to build a strong, sound, growing church that will
continue to increase is by patient plowing and planting of God’s Word in the
“good and honest hearts” of men (Luke 8:15). A steady diet of strong Gospel
preaching from the pulpit and Bible teaching from the classroom, coupled with
wise oversight of godly elders who truly care for the souls of the flock, is
the only formula for church growth that will be pleasing to God and eternal in
its results.
Mighty Rome was not built in a day nor is a great
congregation or a strong Christian character developed instantly. Let us follow
God’s ways, not man’s and we can be assured of success as it is measured by
God’s infallible Word, not by man’s shallow standards.
SERMON TOPICS
A.M. – “Why Be A Member Of The
church of
Christ?” (Eph. 4:4-6)
P.M. – “Questions and Bible Answers”
(James 1:5)
Those For Whom We Are
Praying:
Kathleen Ritchey
Loren Eddleman
Josh Furlow (Friend of Rosemary)
Rosemary Dillow’s mother
Jerry & Betty Ward
Rodney & Nikki Lingle
Paul Frailey
Bill Whitnel
Sheilah Whittington
Gene Ballance (Kittie’s brother) – Battling pneumonia & not doing well.
Angie Dasher (Aimee’s sister) Improving.
Jared Toler – Broken ankle is improving. He’s now off of his crutches.
*Our sympathy goes out to the
family of Billy Max Lentz at the passing of his wife, Shirley last Monday
night. She was laid to rest this past Thursday.
Wisdom
From Proverbs:
“A wise
son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother” (Prov. 10:1).
UPCOMING
ACTIVITIES/MEETINGS
*Today is the first Sunday of the month and
Potluck Sunday. Please
don’t worry if you
didn’t bring anything,
there’ll be plenty. Stay
and let us visit with you!
*Men’s Bible class tomorrow night.
*Gospel Meeting at Dongola, with Bro.
Philip Jones May 11-14.
*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.
*Next Sunday will be Flower Fund
Sunday.
BIBLE QUESTION/ANSWER:
Last week’s answer: Swine (Luke
15:15).
New question: What was the fate
of John the Baptizer?
Sentence Sermon: A big heart accomodates many more than a big house.
Quotable Quote: “The greatest thing in the world is not as much where we are, but in what direction we’re going.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes (How true of the faithful Christian!)
Anniversary
James and Sheilah Whittington – 5/6
Elders
Jamie Driskill 833-6245
Wayne Schultz 833-6487
John Shelton 833-5090
Deacons
R.W. McAlister
Robert McAlister
Ryan Thornsberry
Preacher
R.W. McAlister
618-697-0351
Email: rwmcalister@hotmail.com
Office
618-833-5815
Services
Sunday
Bible Study 9:30 a.m.
Morning Worship 10:30 a.m.
Evening Worship 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday
Bible Study 7:00 p.m.
Television Program
In Search Of The Lord’s Way
Ch 49 Sunday 7:00 a.m.
Newspaper Ministry
The Preaching Pen
Gazette Democrat