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BulletinGold
#81 A
scene commonly found in the four Gospels describes multitudes, eager
for instruction or healing, migrate toward the rumored location of
Jesus' next stop. Many of those who followed Jesus recognized Him
to be a great teacher. Some acknowledged Him as a great
prophet. A few correctly identified Him as the long awaited
Messiah. But James had no faith in Jesus. While the blind
saw, the lame walked, the deaf heard, James continued in his refusal to
believe that his older brother was anything more than just an ordinary
man (John 7:5). Then came the cross. The hoard of
believers evaporated, leaving behind a distraught family and
discouraged disciples. Together they huddled for strength and
comfort, rejected by all others. They would find the comfort so
desperately needed in their grief from the most unlikely source: the
very One over whom they were grieving. After all of the time they
had spent with their Lord, and all of His declarations of what had now
been fulfilled, none of them were prepared to see Him suddenly appear
in their midst, despite the security of their locked room. That
day they saw His risen form, His wounds clearly evident but His life
undeniable. It was likely an appearance such as this that brought
James to finally believe (1 Corinthians 15:7)! Now he believed
that it had been God's power surging through Jesus' miracles, verifying
the truthfulness of His spoken words. Now he believed that those
who had heralded the coming of the Messiah had accurately spoken of
Jesus. He would spend the rest of his life proclaiming Jesus as
the Savior of the world. |
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__________________________via BulletinGold
by: Walter Scott1 Christ is called the Sun of Righteousness
(Malachi 4:2), and no literal
sentence perhaps is adequate to the idea of His glory which this
metaphor throws in the mind. The sun is the great center to the
system; the immediate source of all light, life, heat, and vegetation;
hence, Jesus is all these in the spiritual world. How delightful
to the soul of the Christian to know that our blessed Lord is spoken of
under, perhaps, one hundred and twenty different figures in the Holy
Scriptures. __________________________via BulletinGold The Indescribable Gift of God's Loveby: Patrick Hogan "And
without controversy great is the mystery of
godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by
angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received
up in
glory." (1 Timothy 3:16)
In this
passage Paul
reflects
upon what he terms "the mystery of
godliness." The first element of this mystery is "God was
manifested in the flesh." Obviously this is a reference to the
incarnation of Jesus Christ. Matthew 1:22 quotes from the prophet
Isaiah: "Behold, the
virgin shall be
with child, and bear a Son, and they shall
call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."
In many
ways the fact that
God
would be manifest in the flesh is truly a
mystery. Hebrews 2:14-18 and Philippians 2:5-9 both elaborate on
the idea
that in Jesus God was truly "with us." Part of the mystery is how this was
accomplished - how deity could become human. For me, a
greater mystery is why He would do this.
I realize that the simple
answer is "because He loved us." Still, the question remains as
to why He would love us so much the He would leave the place of peace,
honor,
glory and security in heaven to subject Himself to the chaos that sin
and man's
rebellion had brought into this world. Knowing that He loved us
enough to
humble Himself and to die in our place should prompt us to humble
ourselves
before Him. While we may not be able to understand why He would love us
this much, we can realize that we have been given an unspeakably
marvelous gift
and be drawn to Him by His love (see John 12:32).
- Patrick Hogan
serves as an elder and
one of the ministers for the
Shady Acres church of Christ in
Sikeston, MO. He may be contacted through their website: www.shadyacreschurch.com
__________________________via BulletinGold Subway Saviorby: David A. Sargent On Tuesday afternoon, January 2, Cameron
Hollopeter, a 19-year-old film
student, began suffering a seizure and stumbled down a New York City
subway platform onto the tracks. Without help, Hollopeter may
have been severely injured or killed because a subway train was making
its way into the station on the tracks where he lay. * Details gleaned Associated Press article,
“Subway Savior Showered With Praise” at MSNBC.com -- http:///www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16469039/ __________________________via BulletinGold God, The Marriage CounselorBy Hardie Logan In our Sunday morning Bible class, we are
studying the topic of marriage. It is a deep subject and a very needed
subject to study. For many couples, it is a long overdue subject. - Hardie Logan preaches for the Marshfield church of Christ, in Marshfield, WI. He may be contacted at xnman01@gmail.com __________________________via BulletinGold <>The Power of Godby: Jimmy W. Cox Sin is the power of Satan unto damnation. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. It is the only power that can break the grip of sin and set men free. (Rom. 1:16). God’s convincing power. The hearing of it, or the reading of it, produces faith. (Rom.10:17; Acts 18:8). God’s convicting power. He who listens to it soon becomes aware of his guilt. "Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do." (Acts 2:37); See Heb. 4:12. God’s enlightening power. It reveals to man God’s plan of salvation. (Mark 16:15,16) "And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." See also Acts 2:37-38, and 2 Peter 1:5-8. God’s restraining power. It points out evil and warns man of its danger. (Gal. 6:7-8) "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." See also Rev. 21:8. God’s constraining power. The love it reveals and the hope it instills lead men onward to a life of obedience and eternal blessedness. (Rom. 2:4) "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" Also 2 Cor. 5:14). God’s cleansing power. All who yield to its gentle sway are washed, sanctified, made free from the stain and the guilt of sin. (Acts 2:38) "Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." God’s
exalting power. In the last day it will raise the sainted dead and
clothe each with immortality and incorruption. Read I Cor. 15:50-54; I
Thess.4:16-18. The gospel is a blessing to all who believe it, obey it,
and follow its gentle light. The gospel is for "all nations and every
person. "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature." (Mark 16:15). - Jimmy Cox lives in Sandy Hook, MS and attends the Columbia church of Christ in Columbia, MS. He may be contacted at cc0c@Bellsouth.netmail __________________________via BulletinGold Prepare
for Defense Most Christians rarely, if ever, study Christian
Evidences. However, it is a topic that is of limitless importance
to any believer. For many of us, it is enough to accept that we
believe because "we have faith" or "we just know." While this may
make sense to us of the household of faith, what does it do to the
secularists that seem to be everywhere about us? The fact is,
just unfounded belief in God is no different than teaching some
man-made doctrine because we "feel in our heart that it is true."
God intends us to have a rational, thinking faith. He desires
that we put the same effort toward defending Christianity as we do
defending specific doctrines. - Stefano R. Mugnaini preaches for the Cairo church of Christ in Cairo, GA, He may be contacted at ssmugnaini@syrupcity.net __________________________via BulletinGold |
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Have you ever taken a few moments of your time
just to meditate on this question? Have you ever stopped to think
why Christ came to earth? Consider: - Selected; via the weekly bulletin of the Harrisburg church of Christ in Harrisburg, IL. Edd Sterchi serves as one of the congregation's ministers. He may be contacted at sterchi@midwest.net You may visit their website at www.harrisburgchurchofchrist.org __________________________via BulletinGold The Six S’s of the Saviorby: Edd Sterchi
Jesus came to the earth to... __________________________via BulletinGold God Is
Still Love A man traveling through the country
noticed that the weather vane
on the roof of the farm building bore the phrase “God is Love.” He was
troubled about it and asked the farmer, “Do you think God’s love is as
changeable as that weather vane?” You miss the point sir,” replied the
farmer, “It is on the weather vane because no matter which way the wind
is blowing, God is still love.” “And we have known and believed
the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love
dwelleth in God, and God in him” (I John 4:16). __________________________via BulletinGold Pleasing Everybody
A Sunday School teacher was questioning her
pupils after a lesson on
God's omnipotence. "Now children," she asked, "is there anything God
can't do?" One lad enthusiastically thrust his hand into the air. The
teacher, feeling certain that the boy had missed the point of the
lesson, asked halfheartedly, "Well, just what IS it that God can't do?"
Replied the boy: "He can't please EVERYBODY, Miss!" __________________________via BulletinGold
Whatever the
question __________________________via BulletinGold God the Artistby: Margaret Peterson The Artist of the universe __________________________via BulletinGold A Good ExampleThere was a little postage stamp, No bigger than your thumb. But still it stuck right on the job Until its work was done. They licked it, and they pounded it ‘Til it would make you sick; But the more it took the lickin’, The tighter it would stick. Let’s be like the postage stamp In playing life’s big game, And stick to what we know is right And we can’t miss our aim. -Unknown; via THE SOWER, a weekly publication of the Arthur church of Christ, Arthur, IL. Ron Bartanen, who serves as minister and editor, may be contacted at - ron33dor@yahoo.com You may also visit their website at www.arthurchurchofchrist.com __________________________via BulletinGold <>The Crown of Lifeby: Rick Woodall All your life has been a test As you try to do your best. Sometimes never good enough Life can be so cruel and tough. Please don’t let it get you down As you run upon this ground Keep on trying - aim to finish Doubts will taunt and then diminish. The secret to tirelessly keeping strong When the challenge seems so long Spirits worn, you’ve lost your grit. Passions gone you feel unfit. But deep within you feel the love That you have for God above. With new breath-you run secure You feel new, alive and sure. As you cross the finish line You broke through the ribbon fine. Defeating all the pain and strife You receive the crown of life. “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” -James 1:12 - Rick
Woodall is the minister for the Yorktown Road church
of Christ in Logansport Indiana. His weekly
devotional message,
Life Thoughts, can be found through this address: http://mysite.verizon.net/yorktownroadchurchofchrist/ __________________________via BulletinGold Gold
Mines The
Sword of the Spirit is not
given to us for splitting hairs.
Much of the
trouble and confusion in the world
results from
a peculiar combination: a narrow mind and a wide mouth. Mediocre
persons are always at their best.
- via The Encourager, the weekly bulletin for the Dongola church of Christ, Dongola, IL. Gerald Cowan serves the congregation as minister. He may be contacted at Geraldcowan1931@aol.com Our arms are the only ones God has to hug His children. It is the duty of
the preacher not only to comfort
the
distressed, but to distress the comfortable. The way some use
the Sword of the Spirit one would
think it
was made for splitting hairs. - via The Lantern, Highway church of Christ, Sullivan, IL Visit their website as www.highwaycofc.com If
you think you're perfect, try
walking on water.
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Editorial
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Hey Preacher! |
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