Nile Street Notes Anna Church of Christ 104 Nile Street, Anna, Illinois 62906 833-5815

Website: www.annachurchofchrist.com

Vol 23. Issue 38 Sept. 20, 2009

H1N1 and Sin

Things get dirty. You leave the house for any amount of time and once-clean shoes become coated in filth; clothes become contaminated with grit, grease, and grime. Even in our homes, dirt is everywhere. Don't believe me? Move a lamp that has set on a table a day or two without being dusted or run your finger across the top of a door facing. Our world is filled with dirt that requires that we clean constantly. I know that this is not news to anyone; it is the world in which we live. This dirt is not just a cosmetic issue either it is a health issue. Bacteria and viruses lurk everywhere threatening to make us sick. We have been reminded of this fact over the past several months with all the news of the H1N1 virus. So we wash, we clean, we use hand sanitizer, we do whatever is necessary to stay clean and healthy.

The same can be said about our spiritual life. We get dirty. We live in a world contaminated with sin and this sin is even in our homes. Don't believe me? Turn your television on, listen to the songs on your radio, surf the internet, sin is everywhere. No matter how hard we try to stay clean, inevitably something sticks. Fortunately, God has provided us something much better than soap and water, something far more effective than hand sanitizer to clean off the sin that contaminates our lives.

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:7-9

Let's all be as diligent washing our souls as we are at washing our hands. - Mitchell Skelton

SERMON TOPICS

A.M. – “Seven Pillars Of The Church”

(Eph. 2:19-22)

P.M. – 3^rd Sunday Singing Service

Those For Whom We Are Praying:

Kathleen Ritchey

Rodney & Nikki Lingle

Bill Whitnel

Mitchell Shock – Grandson of Rosemary’s cousin.

Austin Detering

Carlos Wright

Charles Dillow – Freda’s brother-in-law

Paul Etherton - Sara Wilkins' father. Cancer in lymph nodes.

Jean Brown – Kris’s aunt.

Diana Schultz - Recovering from injuries sustained in a car crash.

John Bradley – Cast has been removed.

Wes Boie – Terminal cancer.

Wisdom From Proverbs: “They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight” (Prov. 11:20).

Sentence Sermon: “When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place.”

Quotable Quote: “A bend in the road is not the end of the road… unless you fail to make the turn. ” – Unknown

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

* Thanks to all who attended/helped with Ladies’Day yesterday.

* Ladies’ Day at Central church of Christ in Paducah, KY on Sept. 26.

* Ladies’ Day at Marion on Oct. 3.

* Little Egypt Youth Camp Retreat Oct. 9-10. Details on Bulletin Board.

* Fall Lectureship at Marion congregation Oct. 11-14 w/various speakers.

* Gospel Mtg. in Centralia 9/27-9/30 w/John Polk.

* There will be a baby shower for Brittany Carter on Sept. 27 from 2-4 p.m. in the Yates home at 307 East Poplar St. in Cobden.

Brittany is having a girl.

* Christian Chapel Homecoming next Sunday w/4^th Sunday singing to follow at 2:30.

* Please continue to drop any Bible questions in the Question & Answer box in the foyer. Recent questions will be addressed in

the near future.

* Please continue boycotting Pepsi & Frito-Lay products as they support the homosexual agenda.

* Brother Ryan is being considered for the eldership. Please voice your thoughts concerning this to the current elders by this

evening.

BIBLE QUESTION/ANSWER:

Last week’s answer: The apostle Paul (II Tim. 4:7-8).

New question: To whom did Jesus say, “Peace. Be still”?

Birthdays &Anniversaries

Sara Jones - 9/25

Wayne Schultz - 9/26

Everyone Needs Jesus Christ

What is your greatest need in life? More money? That’s true for some. What about a new car? Better health? More security in life? One need that we all share, even if we don’t realize it, trumps all of these and it’s the need to have Jesus Christ at the center of our lives. “Why?” you ask? Read on…

In the first place, man needs Jesus because he’s a flawed human being. The first chapter of the Bible reveals that God created the world and everything in it. Of all God’s creations, only man was created as a spiritual being with the ability to glorify God. While animals act by instinct to fulfill their instinctive desires, God enabled man to overcome his natural desires and seek his spiritual welfare. “This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Furthermore, man is not God. We have needs that we cannot supply, namely guidance. We need God’s guidance to help us make decisions about our lives. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12). If we are to please God, we must seek His will.

In the second place, man needs Jesus because he is a sinner. From the time of Adam and Eve until now, the history of man shows clearly that he is a sinner. The Great Flood in the time of Noah was brought on because “the wickedness of man was great in the earth” (Genesis 6:5). Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Because of sin separating us from God, we need a Savior.

Next, man needs Jesus because he needs help. As noted in Jeremiah 10:23, “It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” We cannot guide ourselves in the spiritual realm without help, and most of us learn faster with an example to follow. Christ is that example: “For hereunto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps.” (I Peter 2:21). We are exhorted to be “imitators of Christ” in I Corinthians 1:11. Regardless of the situation we face or conditions around us, Jesus has shown by His life how we can deal with whatever may come.

Finally, man must spend eternity somewhere. “It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Jesus shows only two destinies, and we choose by how we live here in this life. The wicked and righteous are separated to the left and right. He then says of the wicked, “And these shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” In spite of our sins, God “wants all men to be saved.” (I Tim. 2:4). The strongest proof of this is found in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

What about you, have you examined your life and discovered a need for Jesus Christ? The need exists, even if you refuse to acknowledge it.

- R.W.

Playing Church

The story is told of a mother who was cleaning house one day when she heard the water running in the upstairs bathroom.  So she naturally went to investigate.  When she reached the top of the stairs, through the open bathroom door, she could see her son holding one of his sister's baby dolls above a nearly full bathtub saying, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and in the hole you go."

Well, it goes without saying that this young boy had been exposed to church, but had not really comprehended what it was all about.  However, in spite of his lack of understanding, children playing church is a good thing.  It certainly beats some of the alternatives that are available these days.  But there comes a time when we reach adulthood and we need to quit "playing" church and realize it's not a game.

Intellectually, we know that, but practically, we need to be reminded.  For how much difference is there in the boy in the above illustration and the adult who doesn't pay attention to the content of the words he sings?  How much difference is there in the boy described above and the adult who day-dreams during the sermon and prayers?  Both are "playing" church, aren't they?

Friends, it may be a long time since you last baptized a baby doll in a bathtub, but it might not be so long since the last time you "played church."  Give it some thought.

- Steve Higginbotham via MercEmail